The Light's Child
by Kuraudiachan
Summary: Lux has some worrying symptoms, and she thinks she might just know what it's all about. Katarina wants to find out the light mage's dark secret, what will she do to discover it? There will be OCs later on. Rated M for violence, sexual and some other adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Lux closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down, but it wasn't helping much. She'd decided, after experimenting a few worrying sensations, to visit Soraka. But, the thing was, she was sure she knew what the problem was, she just didn't want to face her fears.

She pressed a hand against her stomach, which hurt a little, and cursed under her breath. She let her head roll against the wall and opened her eyes again. She was sitting on a bench on the Institute's Medical Unit, where Soraka worked as a part time nurse/helper. Lux could see her from a distance, walking to and fro, checking on patients, a kind smile spread on her face.

A sense of dread filled the blonde girl once more as she saw the Starchild hurry towards her. Lux got up, swallowed hard and forced a smile onto her face, but it didn't touch her eyes.

"What is wrong, child?" The horned healer went to touch her shoulder gently, but as soon as her eyes gazed at the blonde woman, she moved suddenly away.

'Oh, gods, she knows!' Lux screamed internally, and she couldn't help the panicked look from appearing on her face.

"Calm down, light mage." Soraka said soothingly. "And state what is wrong."

"Can we…" The blonde girl looked away, blushing. "Can we go talk somewhere private, please?"

"Of course." The healer turned on her hooves and started walking towards an empty office, by the side. "Right this way."

When they reached it, Soraka led Lux in first and then closed the door behind herself. She indicated the other to take a seat and she herself got comfortable, bracing herself for the probably horrible situation that was about to encounter.

"You may speak now, child." She insisted after a long silence. "Unfortunately I don't have time to spare."

"I know, I'm sorry. I… just…" Lux closed her eyes and breathed in before opening her eyes and gazing directly into the other's, determination now spread on her face. "I have been feeling a few… weird symptoms these days, and I want to know if you could help me out."

"What kind of symptoms?" Soraka asked, but she already knew what she was going to say. There was a reason the light mage had gone to see her.

"Queasiness, stomach aches, uhm, I have a question to ask."

"Go ahead."

"You can tell, right?"

There was a moment of silence before the horned woman spoke.

"Yes. You are with child, light mage."

Lux eyes opened wide and her mouth formed a cute little "O" form, her voice unable to come out. She felt tears rush and started blinking, trying to make them go away. Soraka walked over to her, a worried expression on her face and patted her back to comfort her.

"I don't know what I'm going to do! I'm so young, I-!" The blonde started sobbing uncontrollably while the other tried to make her feel better.

"Do you know who the father is?"

"Ye-yes." She chocked, trying to wipe the tears away.

Soraka pulled Lux up from the chair and hugged her – something she rarely did, as was not permitted while on her medical duties.

"Be strong, light mage. Be brave." She whispered into the girl's ear.

"But…!" The sobbing was making it hard for her to speak.

"Being with child is a magical experience. It is not the end of your life, like you are thinking. It is in fact, the beginning of a new one."

"You're right, I… just don't know how my parent's will take it."

* * *

Lux, now lying on her bed, covered her face with her hands. Soraka was partially right, it wasn't the end of her life, and the idea of something being created inside of her did seem wonderful, but there were many things to consider, and not all good.

She cursed herself, she cursed him, and especially, she cursed that particular night. Well, it hadn't been just one, so she cursed them all.

She could still feel his warm body pressing against hers, his breath on her neck, the feeling of his hands on her waist, caressing, his rough lips on her back, kissing her sweetly until she screamed out his name.

She had to tell him. But she wasn't sure how he would react, which made her scared.

Absentmindedly, she pressed a hand to her stomach again, but quickly removed it, blushing while doing so. She walked to her bathroom, cleaned herself up a bit, making sure she was presentable, and tried to smile. The girl with blue eyes looking at her in the reflection didn't seem as happy as she wished to be.

She sighed and left her apartment, walking out of the building being careful of not being spotted as she headed towards his room. She was glad she got there without being noticed and knocked on his door.

It was nearly a minute later when it swung open and a shirtless Darius looked her up and down before hurrying her inside. Before she could react, the door was closed behind her and she was pressed against it, and there was no more distance between her and the man.

His lips crashed against hers and she couldn't fight back. She wanted him, she needed him. His hands cupped her face and she smiled against his lips, before responding to the kiss.

It had been over a week since they'd last seen each other, and they both needed this. She saw it in his lust filled eyes, the way he looked at her, the way he grunted her name when she pressed her hips against his, noticing his excitement in the process. She bit her lower lip when his hand caressed her right breast and a half-silenced moan escaped her mouth, something Darius was extremely happy about.

He then hoisted her up with one arm, to pick her up successfully and carry her to the bed. His lips pressed kisses against her tender neck on their way there, sometimes biting at the skin, earning either a giggle or a gasp.

He lay her on the bed and clambered on top of her, watching as her lovely blue eyes spoke for themselves.

"I've been wanting to see you around more." He then whispered huskily against her ear. Something about that action made Lux feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Their fingers interlocked as they looked into each other's eyes and, all of a sudden, all of her worries were gone.

She'd never thought of Darius as a kind, gentle man. She saw him as a brute, a heartless warrior fighting for the horrible place that was Noxus. He terrified her, with those dark, menacing eyes of his and how serious he always looked. But, there was something about him… something that made her not want to stop gazing at him.

At first it was just that. She saw him as a bad man, but, he was attractive. And Lux soon found herself daydreaming of taking his clothes off, just to have a quick look at his powerful build. And maybe experiment first-hand how strong he actually was.

One day, he caught her staring. He thought it was just a coincidence. But it started happening regularly. When in the Rift, even if they were on separate teams, Lux seemed to always be looking at him. And then she'd make the silliest mistakes.

He was lucky he caught them that day. Darius had been walking around the Institute, trying to stop his mind from wondering. Catching Lux always staring at him was getting to him. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. He'd had a nice walk out in the garden when he decided to get back to his apartment. Darius made sure to go really slowly and carefully past his brother's flat, as he was in no mood to have to deal with him when he heard it.

He heard her voice. Coming from his brother's apartment. And he heard him laughing, and she was screaming. His breath caught in his chest and his heart started beating faster. Draven did have a knack for doing stuff like this. Darius pressed his ear against the door, just to make sure he wasn't imagining things. It was muffled but he could tell she was trying to speak and he was snickering. Furiously, the General knocked the door down and barged into the room.

The first thing he saw was Draven's back, but he got up from the uncomfortable position he was in and revealed a very scared looking Lux, tears spilling down her cheeks and something wedged in her mouth.

"What is going on?" Darius walked slowly towards the girl, his gaze turning towards the two of them respectively.

"Bro!" Draven's laughter sounded nervous. "Let me explain."

"I have told you a million times to stop forcing women to have sex with you." Darius started scolding him, but was interrupted by his brother.

"But she's totally into it, it's consensual, I swear! It's role-play."

"Then why is she crying?" The older one's tone sounded much harder than usual. He was having a hard time controlling his anger. "Just cut the bullshit already!"

"But…!" Draven whined like a little child, watching as his brother picked Lux up in his strong arms. "Draven always gets what he wants."

"I'll speak to you later." He grunted, walking towards the door and leaving, still carrying the light mage.

He knew he shouldn't do it, but he opened his own door and entered. He closed it and then walked them over to his room, where he let her down gently. He removed the gag from her mouth and stared into her eyes, unable to speak. What was he going to do next?

"I'm sorry for Draven's behaviour. And I know an awkward apology from the guy's brother isn't what you want or need, but it's something."

He stood there, not sure if even by standing there he was making it worse.

She hadn't stopped crying, if anything, it had actually gotten worse, but she was staring deep into his eyes.

"Thank… thank you. For saving me. I… I'm…"

"I'm glad I heard you scream and was able to do that." Darius relaxed a bit, but the situation still seemed forced. "Do you… do you want some water or something?"

She shook her head and tried her best to mop her eyes with her hands, but the crying wasn't stopping.

"This… this may sound weird" she half-sobbed, looking at her lap this time, not at him. "But could you hug me?"

The question did take him aback, but he sat awkwardly next to her and slowly placed his arms around her, making sure he was being gentle enough as to not hurt her.

"I was wrong about you." She started speaking, still looking at her lap. "You're not a bad person. You're actually kind and gentle, and I really misjudged you. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

She placed her head against his chest and Darius noticed his heart started beating really fast.

"The thing is" She went on, her voice a little bit quieter now. "That even when I thought you were bad, I still… couldn't stop thinking about you."

Darius didn't say anything. He wasn't sure if he was able to, anyway. He just held on to her tighter.

Lux raised her head and lightly touched her lips to his.

"Time to take you home." He said, gently moving her away. He got up, so as to not see her face of rejection. But he could feel his own heart bleeding slightly at his choice of actions.

"Darius…"

"Look, Lux." He finally mustered enough courage to turn around but her watery eyes made his chest hurt. This time it was different because he knew it was his fault. Their love just couldn't be.

"Yeah, I shouldn't have said anything. I shouldn't have done anything! I'm so stupid! How could I actually think you could be interested in me?" She got up and quickly darted towards the door but he grabbed her and forced her to sit down on his bed and to look at her.

"No, Lux, calm down." He sighed and he found himself saying the next words "I actually have feelings for you."

He couldn't believe what he'd done. He cursed himself for saying something he wasn't sure was right and especially doing so after the incident with Draven. Lux had feelings and hers had been toyed with too much for one day.

And then it dawned on him. When had he started caring for the feelings of well… the enemy? Maybe it had been all those times he'd caught her looking at him. It had started making him feel special. Nothing anyone had ever made him feel. Especially not an attractive woman. And then, the fact that she missed all her shots when they were fighting together and against each other but when he saw her play when he wasn't around she was flawless on the battleground. Eliminating rivals without even blinking.

He found it cute.

He found _her_ cute.

He started to want to kiss her. Feel her. Fuck her ruthlessly.

And that's when he saw her eyes sparkle and he thought she was going to cry again but she didn't. She threw herself against him and he caught her in his arms and this time, it was him that started the kiss.

They embraced a few more times and then he took her to her place. They didn't say anything because there was nothing to say. He waved once as he left her and she smiled all day long until she went to sleep, the Draven incident long forgotten.

For the next few days, every time they saw each other in the Institute, she'd blush and he just walked away faster. But she couldn't stay away from him any longer, and one night, she showed up on his door.

He let her into his apartment and into his bed.

He couldn't explain what it was about her. He thought it didn't need any explanations. But the more they saw each other, the more he saw her smile, the stronger his feelings were.

And that's how their unspoken sentimental and romantic relationship started.

* * *

"So I'm going to be a father, huh?" Darius whispered, cradling Lux in his strong arms. He sighed, closing his eyes. She could see how exhausted he was just by looking at him. "Weird."

"Weird?" She inquired. "Why?"

"Well, it's not like I haven't had to play the part, you know. To Draven, I mean. But, having a kid of my own, that's new."

"I'm sure you'll be a great dad." She whispered, closing her eyes and nuzzling her head against his chest, ready for sleep.

"But I can't." He then said, making her open her eyes again and she quickly tore apart from him.

"What?"

"Lux, I thought it was obvious." His tone was an exhausted whine, before he gritted his teeth and continued speaking. "You're Demacian and I'm Noxian, I don't think I need to spell it out to you."

"But… I don't want the child to grow up without a father…" She whispered.

He trailed kisses all over her neck, to calm her down, before speaking himself.

"Lux, listen to me. The fact that I don't publicly announce that I'm the father doesn't mean he can't grow up with one."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be there for you, for the baby, don't you worry. Just… maybe, have you thought of a… substitute dad?"

"Do you mean I should trick someone in to believing he's the father?"

"No. The genetics would probably give it away anyway. Ok, Lux, I'll get to my point. Ezreal has a crush on you. He might be a good parent. I don't know. But I can bet whatever you want that he'll be there for you. And, unlike me, it's socially acceptable for him to be."

The blonde mage thought about it for a few seconds while he was busy pressing his lips against hers and rubbing her tummy gently. There was some truth in what he said.

"Or, hear me out." She mumbled when he'd stopped kissing her mouth. "We elope and lead a happy life with our child."

"Yeah, and where would we go? Let's also not forget that half of Runeterra would be looking for two famous League Champions? Plus, it'll look like I kidnapped you or something."

"Kidnap me Darius, please!" She begged. "I want to have this baby with you."

"I swear I will be there for you. Just consider the options. Do you want to leave here? You have a place to live, a job, food, income, fame, me. Where would you go? How would you explain the baby?"

"But…" Tears were forming in Lux's eyes. She didn't want to admit that what he said was very right. "Yeah, Ok, I'll stay."

"Would you rather be a single mother, Lux? I'm serious, by the way. If you don't want Jayce or Ezreal to support you."

"No. I… I want the baby to have a dad. It's not just me, I think I could handle alone, but…"

"I know. I wish it could be me. But I think it's too big a risk to take."

They were silent for a while, before he pressed his forehead against hers and smiled at her.

"I'll always be there for you, Lux." He placed a hand on her belly again and she felt chills rush down her spine. But the good kind. "And for our baby, too."

* * *

Lux had thought about it. A lot. She didn't want any loopholes in her plan, and thank god, she thought hers had none. She'd chosen Ezreal after Darius' words, and every minute she spent with the blond explorer convinced her that she'd made the right decision.

She started looking sad (on purpose of course, but some of the pain she felt was real) around him and started acting strange. She started to not be with people, and, following her plan, he quickly tried to ask what was wrong.

"I… I can't tell you here." She gestured around her, as she bit her lip and looked at the floor. They were in the middle of a hall in the Institute, as he'd been spectating one of her matches of the day, wanting to catch her off guard to ask her about her strange behaviour recently.

"Why?"

"It's something really big… and really bad…" She let out, then quickly pressed her hands against her mouth and looked in horror, as if she'd let out to much for her own good.

Ezreal's face changed. He frowned and grabbed her hand, then started nearly running down the corridor towards his apartment.

"Please don't run!" She panted, clutching her stomach. He looked at her, the serious expression still on his face, but slowed down eventually. He opened the door to his apartment and nearly shoved her in.

"You must tell me everything, Lux. Immediately."

"I…" Lux started sobbing then, her heart beating heavily in her chest. "You… have to promise me something."

"Ok." He swallowed. His chest felt particularly tight at that moment. He couldn't wait to know what was going on to the gorgeous blonde in front of him. His gaze trailed her features, stopping only at her half closed eyes. He lifted a hand to clear the tears that were streaming at her cheeks.

"You can't tell anyone. And, please… if I tell you… I haven't told anyone. I… if I tell you and you run away… I would never forgive you."

"I would never do that." Ezreal looked nearly shocked at the accusation. But, on the inside, he was getting more and more nervous as he still didn't know what was wrong. What if it was something really awful and he couldn't do anything?

"Remember, remember, a few weeks ago, when I had to leave for Demacia?" She asked, her gaze finally meeting his. He nodded, and she was secretly glad that the trip had happened. It had actually been to meet some royal sod, some long distance family member, but now she was going to use it to her advantage. She remembered the night before her travel, and the glorious sex she'd had with Darius. It had probably been then when… it'd happened.

She sighed, to collect herself.

"Well, it was a family thing, but, something happened…"

"Lux, what is it? Please tell me, you're frightening me!"

"I… I was raped, Ezreal!" She finally said, surprised at herself and her own ability to lie. She repeated an action she'd done not even five minutes ago, when she'd blurted out a very well practised speech, and pressed her hands against her mouth, as if to try and amend what was now irreversible. Internally, she was congratulating herself on how well it was coming out. She never knew she could do this.

His mouth dropped open and he took a step back from her. She took the opportunity to start crying again, as if she'd just been rejected by him and slightly turned away. He noticed and quickly embraced her in a warm hug.

Lux found herself liking it and cuddling up against him. She hadn't felt so warm since… since Darius.

"Lux, it's ok, I'm here, I'm not leaving. I'm so, so sorry that had to happen to you. Do you know who this man is?"

"Wait, Ez, there's more." She whispered into his chest. She couldn't help but notice how small he was in comparison to the Noxian General. But… she kinda liked it. It was as if he was the perfect size for her.

He squeezed her gently, almost, lovingly, and the light mage's heart skipped a beat.

"He… I… I'm pregnant, Ezreal."

And with that, she dropped the act and felt again, the same mixture of emotions she'd been feeling those few weeks. She started crying, and held on to him as if he was the only thing she had left. And, maybe he was. Darius couldn't be there, not like him, not physically supporting her, not like she needed.

The explorer didn't know what to say. All he could do was hold on to her tighter. He wanted to fix her, to mend her heart and all that hurt, even if he knew it was impossible.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It wasn't long before Lux decided to tell the world of her pregnancy. She wrote a loving letter addressed to her parents and signed it off with her name and Ezreal's at the bottom, hopping they'd fall for it. She thought of Darius's words that night, when he'd said "The genetics would probably give it away" and she bit her lip worriedly. She couldn't even feel the little thing inside of her yet, so there was still time to come up with something, for she had the feeling the baby would end up with dark hair, like its dad, and she knew people would start suspecting.

She hadn't told Garen yet. She was scared of what his reaction would be. She considered claiming the baby was Jayce's but she didn't want to keep lying, or to include him in the lies, and when she'd expressed her doubts to Ezreal, he just kissed the top of her head and whispered in her ear that everything would be alright, everything would sort itself out.

So, the day she received the answer from her parents – both proud and happy for her, her father slightly scornful over the partner she'd chosen – she decided it was time to tell her brother, before he found out from someone else.

She went to his place, knocked on his door and waited for his answer. He heard him mutter and grunt, and finally he asked who it was.

"It's me, Lux!" She called, a nervous smile spreading on her face quickly but soon faded as she noticed her hands were shaking.

"Coming" He grunted and she heard a few shuffles and other noises before he opened the door and leaned on the frame. She noticed he looked messy. His hair was ruffled and his clothes looked as if he'd quickly put them on. "Hello sis, is something up?"

"I have something to tell you." She tried walking forward but her brother didn't budge, so she sighed and smiled quickly at him. "Garen, I'm pregnant."

"You're WHAT?" He screamed, his mouth opening wide. His blue eyes trailed up and down his sister, maybe looking for a way to tell if she actually was. Then, he embraced her in a powerful hug and lifted her up in the air. She could smell sweat on his neck as he twirled her around. "Oh, gods! I'm so happy!"

When he finally placed her on the floor again she was dizzy and he was nearly crying tears of joy.

"I'm going to be an uncle!? You're going to be a mother!? And to think it seems like it was yesterday when we were playing in the gardens!" Garen was babbling on happily, forgetting momentarily that his sister was still there. "You're going to be a great mother! Oh, I wonder how Mum and Dad will take it? They'll love the news, I'm sure. Does the League know? I will NOT have you fighting in your condition."

"I have to tell them, yeah." Lux agreed, nodding her head gently.

"Oh, and how did Ezreal take it?"

The light mage blinked quickly and blushed, not sure what to say. She didn't know what to answer so she just opened her mouth and closed it after she couldn't find her voice.

"Look, sis, I've always known you've had a thing for each other. I guess you were both scared of telling me because you thought I would try and kill him or whatever but if he makes you happy, I'm happy for you! I can't believe you're going to have a baby! I'm so excited!"

"Ah…" was all Lux could say. She stammered, trying to make sense of what her brother was saying. She decided to just go along with it.

"Ezreal is very happy…" She muttered, trying to sound convincing. She smiled at her brother. "We're both ecstatic!"

After a few more congratulating words from Garen, she waved goodbye with a quick excuse and turned around the hall to go see Ezreal. She had a few things on her mind and she was trying to sort them out as she walked, the smile fading from her face.

Garen, on the other hand, couldn't stop beaming as he shut the door and went back to his room, where a naked Katarina was waiting for him, unfazed.

"What took you so long?" She whined, getting up on the bed and reaching for him, taking his clothes off again. She turned them round and pushed him to a sitting position, then straddled him.

"I'm going to be an uncle!" He grinned uncontrollably at her.

Kat's mouth fell open, then she raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"And who's the father?" She questioned, her hands slipping into his hair.

"Ezreal of course." Garen chimed happily, finally responding to his lover's caresses and kissing her neck sweetly.

"Sure…" She answered, not completely convinced. She decided not to continue the conversation but her mind couldn't stop thinking about the fact that she didn't believe the story. 'Maybe' she thought as she started biting the Demacian's neck roughly 'I could figure out the truth.'

But her thoughts got lost as she got lost in him.

* * *

Lux walked up to Ezreal's door and knocked on it curtly. He opened up quickly, almost as if he'd been waiting there for her to come back.

"What did he say?" he asked, nervous.

"He just assumed you were the father!" Lux said, disbelief clear in her voice. "I don't know where he gets that from, you know? But, don't get me wrong, I'm glad he does!"

"That's because…" Ezreal's voice was thick for a second. He cleared it and continued talking. "I like you, Lux."

She just stared at him, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. He gently pulled her into a hug but she was still confused about everything.

"And I've made up my mind. I don't care who the father is, if you want to have this child – which I assume you do – I want to have it with you. I will assume the role as father of this baby."

"I… I'm… Thank you…" Lux stammered. Her ear was pressed against his chest so she could hear his heart beating for her and feel his arms wrapped around her. She raised her head to look at him.

"I will be with you forever, Lux. I love you." He said as she gazed into his eyes and she realised how that was the first time anyone had said that to her. He leaned in to kiss her and she found herself lost in Ezreal as his lips touched hers, and, before she even thought about it, she kissed him back.

In the back of her mind, she kept reminding herself of Darius. But, Ezreal loved her and for all she knew, the Noxian could just be fucking around with her. Come to think of it, it was always her that went to him, never the other way round. He said too much, but acted too little. And, for the record, he'd never told her he loved her. And that's when she closed her eyes and let herself go. She let herself be loved, _feel_ loved.

"I" In between each word he said, he placed a kiss on her lips. "Love. You. So. Fucking. Much."

And then he let her go and she could see his flushed face and… lust clear in his eyes. Lux wasn't very experimented sexually, for she'd had very few encounters before Darius, but she was older than Ezreal, who was still trapped in the body of a teenager. She wasn't sure how much experience he had in bed, but she could tell he was mostly fuelled by his emotions and hormones. Right now they must be screaming at him to fuck her. And Lux wasn't sure what she wanted.

But then, he surprised her with the words he said next. He was still blushing and out of breath, but he held her hands and smiled at her.

"I know you must be scared and hurt after what that… man…" He spat the word out, as if it were the worst word in the world. "Did to you. I respect it. I won't do anything you are not ok with."

And, before she could control it, tears sprung to her face. Darius was now all forgotten as she threw herself into Ezreal's arms and he caught her, happily surprised.

"I will not go any further until you're ok with it." He said, holding her close to him.

'I will never let you go.' He thought, feeling the sensation that he'd never been happier.

* * *

But Lux still had much to figure out. She wanted to know what Darius felt for her, but at the same time she didn't want to know. She was scared. Mostly she was scared of getting hurt. She had feelings for him, and strong ones, as well. She kept remembering all the times they'd made love and trying to see if it was actually love they'd made or if he was just fucking her because he lusted for her.

If it was the latter, well, she'd be disappointed. But then, she kept remembering his words, when he said them. He hardly spoke, let alone of his feelings, but he'd made it clear to her that he would be with her throughout the pregnancy.

'But that could just be because of the baby' She thought. 'Because it's his child.'

So, she'd decided she had to find out, even if she wasn't ready for the truth.

She hadn't seen him in a while. She told herself she was busy talking with the League and making preparations, but if truth be told, she'd been postponing meeting him on purpose. She wasn't ready for rejection.

But, there she was, knocking on his door, when no answer came from within. So, she knocked again and again, then sighed.

'He's not here.' She told herself. That scared her more. The fact that if she gave up now, she would give up forever. And maybe she'd loose him for this cowardly decision.

"Lux." She then heard from the other side of the corridor. Terrified of being caught, she tried to run to the side, to pretend like she wasn't there, until she recognised that Darius was the one that had spoken to her.

He quickly walked over to where she was and opened the door. He looked both ways before pushing her in gently and then he sighed in relief.

"How long were you there for?" He questioned.

"Not long…" She trailed off. She could smell him. He'd just showered and she couldn't keep her eyes away from his face. "Where do you come from?"

"Training. I also had a shower. So, yeah, it's been long."

They both stood there awkwardly. They didn't know what to say and it was like they both wanted separate things.

"You smell nice…" She whispered, her hand slowly reaching forward to touch him.

He'd been restraining himself but the moment he saw her intentions, he couldn't hold back. He slammed her body against the door, careful of not actually hurting her.

"Where've you been, Lux?" He moaned into her ear. By now, he knew what turned her on and he was about to put on his A game. Having just come from training, testosterone was strongly influencing all his movements.

"Ah!" She gasped, her face flushed. His hands were on her waist and she just wanted to melt.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't come back." He huskily started nibbling on her ear, then chuckled when she started to moan.

"Da-Darius!" She whined, not wanting him to do this to her anymore. She'd forgotten why she was there, she just wanted him to fuck her there and then.

"I thought I'd lost you to Ezreal forever, you know." He bit her hard at the same time he slammed his warm body against hers.

"I've been busy…" She spoke the first words quietly, but then it turned into a hushed moan at the end.

"I'm going to make you regret not having come earlier." He told her, picking her up and carrying her to his bed. He threw her onto it violently, knowing she would be fine. He clambered on top of her and pinned his arms to either side of her head and stared into her eyes. She looked at him like she couldn't take it anymore.

"Say it." He smirked.

"Say what?" She asked, confused.

"That you've missed me. That you want me to fuck you." And because he couldn't be without touching her any moment longer, he bent down and kissed her neck, knowing fully well what that would do to her.

It was hard for Lux to admit this, but she gave in and screamed what he'd asked her to say. He grinned slyly at her and then he gave in and their lips interlocked for the first time.

* * *

He trailed his hand up and down the curves of her naked body. She watched as he did so, thinking of how to pose the questions she had in her mind.

"Why are you doing this?" She inquired after a few more minutes of pondering.

"I thought you liked it. I can stop if you want." He answered, removing his hand briskly.

"No, not that." She sighed. "The sex. Why with me?"

His brow creased at her words. They somehow didn't make sense to him. He didn't understand where the question was coming from. He couldn't understand her insecurities, what went on through her head. He tried to, he really did, as he stared into her blue eyes and looked for the answers to those questions.

"I have feelings for you, Lux." He whispered.

A second, maybe two, passed before she embraced him tightly. She wanted to be with him forever, to feel his warm body against hers.

"I love you, Darius." She smiled warmly at him, tightening the hold she had on him. And although he didn't voice his feelings, he was sure he felt the same for her.

* * *

Most of the champions were incredibly excited with the upcoming birth. During her pregnancy, Lux had had too much attention. Gifts, adoration, offers for help, visits of concern… It only got worse once the baby was born. Everyone came in, wanting to see the child, wanting to congratulate the happy parents and give them all gifts.

It was a boy. Ezreal and Lux had waited until his birth to know his gender, but they had already thought of names for him, and they had finally settled with Ethanial.

He was small but undeniably beautiful, with blue eyes much like his mother's. Everyone who saw him melted quickly.

Gifts had basically been raining on the baby. Everyone wanted to pamper the child and mother. Even the League had decided to give them a new apartment for the three of them to live comfortably.

Garen had spent most of his income on clothes, presents and accessories for Ethanial and had been in the hospital with Lux nearly as long as Ezreal had. Amongst the most notable gifts was Soraka's star mobile she'd made for him. It shone and jingled slightly when it moved.

The real surprise came when Swain, Leblanc, Darius and Draven went to visit them, to congratulate them.

"We know we're not the people you want here." Swain started speaking, looking at Lux as she was holding her new born baby. "But we feel we are your colleagues in a way and wish to pay our respects and congratulate you on this wonderful event. We also bring gifts."

Ezreal smiled curtly at him, and knowing that the light mage was extremely tired, decided to take the lead in this conversation.

"Thank you very much." He responded as he extended his hands to pick up the present that was being handed to him. He unwrapped it and found a beautifully carved bird. "It's marvellous!"

LeBlanc offered hers next, which happened to be an amulet.

"It will protect the child." She said. "My wish is that he grows strong and well."

"Thank you." Lux whispered from her bed, trying her best to smile at the mage she'd fought against so many times on the Rift.

"Time for Draven's present!" The man himself said, shoving his way to the bed and handing it directly to the mother. Ezreal took it gently from her and started to unwrap it. "It's the best gift ever!"

It was a signed picture of Draven, beautifully framed.

"Ah, it's… lovely. Thanks for the gesture." The teenager spoke, swallowing nervously.

"Don't put it next to the baby's bed." Warned LeBlanc, a playful smirk on her face. "It'll give him nightmares."

"How dare you-!" Draven was cut short by Darius, who pushed his brother away gently.

"I thought the best gift I could offer you, and him, are training classes. When he is old enough, and if he wants to and you agree, I will gladly teach him how to fight." The General spoke calmly, but an outraged gasp came out of Swain's lips.

"Darius!" He was about to speak when he bit his lip, looking at Lux and Ezreal again.

"You said we had to be nice. I didn't know what else to give them." The other man retorted, turning towards his superior.

"But offering to teach the enemy _our_ ways of fighting…!" He paused, taking a deep breath. He looked at the young couple again and spoke to them. "I wish you and the baby well. We'll see each other of the battlefield." He turned to the General, his voice unforgiving. "You and I need to talk."

He left, followed by LeBlanc, who nodded curtly at them and Draven, who pulled a face for the now sleeping baby before "blessing him".

Darius lingered for a moment, waiting for them all to leave.

"It's your choice if you want my battle training or not. Or his, when he's old enough. I was just trying to be nice, you don't have to take it any other way." He said, before pausing for a second. "Don't let the child touch the amulet LeBlanc gave you. It's dark magic."

He muttered some sort of farewell and quickly followed the other Noxians. Even in her exhausted state, Lux noticed how he hadn't looked at her, not even once.

* * *

It wasn't long before Ethanial's hair started turning dark. Lux bit her lip one day, gently pulling at her son's locks.

"If I used magic, would it help?" She asked, tugging harder accidentally.

"Ma!" The boy whined and his mother snapped out of it.

"I won't let you try." Ezreal went over and kissed her cheek, sweetly interlocking his hands with hers.

"Jayce asked me today if the kid was his!" She cried, trying to pull away from the teenager, but he didn't let her go.

"What?"

"He said he didn't remember bedding me, but he might've been drunk."

"I hope you told him that he isn't."

"Of course I did! Ugh, be blond!"

"I am already." He chuckled, but when she shot him a look he sighed. "Calm down, Lux. Just say he isn't gifted with light and that's why he isn't blond."

"Why would anyone believe that?"

"Your brother has brown hair. I mean, it has to be in your genes somewhere."

"Well, it is the best idea we've had yet… might as well try it."

"There's no sign of magic, right?" Ezreal picked Ethanial up and smiled at him.

"You might actually be right." She snorted. "He hasn't been given the gift of light."

"He's still young, Lux, don't be like that. It might take years to show up."

"Actually, I'm happy he's normal, I guess." She grabbed the boy from the mage and hugged him tightly, as if to protect him. "There's a smaller chance that the League will want him."

* * *

 **Hello readers! I'm not entirely happy with how this turned out, but after the many rewrites it got, this was the best I could do (apparently). Anyhow! The next chapter will probably come soon as I am really enjoying this story. Thank you for reading it and thank you very much for the reviews. They make my day :)**

 **As to anyone that might be wondering why LeBlanc is being so nice... all will be revealed eventually.**

 **This is actually a story I am dedicating to a friend of mine. I'm not sure she is comfortable with me giving her name online, so let's just call her Haru.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed it and wish for more! Have a nice day!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A few years before Ethanial was born, the League Tribunal had decided something that would change the champions' lives forever. Quite literally, at that.

The Tribunal couldn't have the champions getting _old_. And in many cases, ugly. So, they talked to Zilean, who reluctantly agreed to prevent the champions from aging. The chancellors wanted to make Swain and the Chronokeeper himself (amongst others) younger, but he refused to go against nature.

Years later, when Ethanial was fifteen, they had another meeting to discuss what age he should be when he were to be added as a new champion. He was already famous, as he was the son of Lux and Ezreal and the League had kept a close eye on him, watching everything he did, so his entrance was greatly awaited by everyone. Well, except for his mother.

"I will not have my son fighting on the Rift." Lux crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed at them. She looked at some familiar faces, some new. She recognised a few from the time she'd told them she was pregnant. At first she'd had to pretend not to be surprised when she'd seen how much they'd aged. She bit her lip, remembering how different the real world was compared to inside the Institute. It had been hard to make this decision but she was sure it was the right one. "I want my son to live a normal life."

"And prevent him from living his destiny?" A man with a long white beard croaked at her, frowning.

"Destiny?" She snorted, looking around in disbelief. "What destiny?"

"He is the son of two League champions. It's in his blood." Another commented.

"Besides." A blonde female pushed her glasses further up her nose and smiled slyly at the mage. "Do you really want your son to live outside the Institute? He doesn't know anyone. He will be looked upon with shame. They will think him a coward because of your decision."

"Or not." Lux stared defiantly at her.

"You will never age, light mage." Another man whispered, making her head turn to glare at him. "And he will die. Do you really want to go through that?"

Her voice got caught in her throat. She hadn't thought of that and they'd got her. She didn't want to admit it but the idea of him leaving her and dying was the worst pain she could imagine. They all saw her falter and they took their chance.

"He loves it here, Lux! The fans want him to fight! He will be a hero, just like you. He always wanted this, right? Do you really want to deny him his dream?"

"But he's so young, he doesn't know how to fight, he…" She stammered, trying to pretend she still wanted him out of the League, but she wasn't sure what she wanted.

"You were also young once, light mage." The man with the beard spoke, looking straight into her eyes. She thought he was going to touch her soul. "In a way, you still are, though. Never mind that. You want him to leave for Demacia? Where there is war and misery and it's a place he can't call home?"

"Enough!" Lux screamed, balling her hands into fists before relaxing her posture and calming down. "I've heard enough. My son will be part of the League. On one condition: not yet. Just… please… I want to prepare him for what is to come."

They agreed and Lux left the room feeling bittersweet. She knew what fighting was, and what doing it every day meant. She knew the stroll of having to kill people. She thought of the first few months when she'd had to be in the League. And sure, they weren't real deaths but she was still scared. It was still hard and straining and in her mind, he was still her little boy. It didn't matter that he was nearly taller than her now or that they barely looked like they were related, she wanted to protect him forever.

And maybe, she'd gotten her wish.

So Ethanial did have to take those fighting classes after all…

* * *

'Ethanial has grown up rather quickly', his father thought, looking his son up and down, making him turn around in front of him. He had a small frame, taking that from his mother, but he had a powerful build. He noticed his ruffled dark hair, and how it resembled his own, when he was much younger. The boy had a handsome face, with blue eyes and a lovely smile, when it decided to make an appearance.

Darius nodded his head in approval, and Ethanial relaxed his posture. He'd passed his first exam.

"Coming from the family you come from…" The Noxian tried to find a way for a smirk to not spread on his face. "Do you have any magical abilities?"

"I've been trained a bit. But I'm not as good as Candella."

The General raised an eyebrow. He'd forgotten about the girl. She was Lux's second child, the one she'd had with Ezreal after raising this boy. She was roughly twelve, although he wasn't sure. It was funny, because a very sarcastic Ezreal had approached him a few months after the girl was born to inquire if he was going to train her as well. Darius had been forced to say that if she was good enough, he would. But that didn't seem likely. This boy, he took after Darius, and was strong, but the girl… the girl had Ezreal's and Lux's petite form and would be better off training her magic instead of her strength.

"Let's see how you do. Choose a weapon." He moved his strong arm in the direction of the armament that was in the room.

"You'll use… your axe?" The boy inquired, an eyebrow raised.

"Naturally." The man picked his precious weapon from the table beside them and swung it, trying to impress the youth.

"I'll use a sword."

"Taking after your uncle?"

"I'd actually like to try the knives. Or the daggers. But I fear I would be at a disadvantage if I did."

"You'll be at a disadvantage anyway, boy." Darius' green eyes twinkled, and a sly grin formed on his mouth.

"I don't care what Zilean does to you." Ethanial's eyes grew darker and the Noxian swore he saw him clench his teeth. "You're old. I've got something you'll never have back. Youth."

"I see you take after Ezreal." Darius tried to chuckle, but the sound was too dry to sound natural. He fought away the resentment that was emerging in the pit of his stomach, noticing what the blond explorer had done to his son. _His kin_. The blood of his blood. "But you're wrong on one important thing."

"What's that?"

"I have years… of experience." He swung the axe so quickly, the recently picked up sword was sent flying across the room.

Ethanial clenched his jaw and made an awkward bow.

"Well played."

"Lesson number one." Darius's voice sounded thicker than normal. "And remember this one even if I don't end up teaching you. Don't be cocky."

"Understood."

Darius knew that the boy had potential. He was probably a lot quicker than he'd shown, as well. But he wanted to figure out if the kid was smart.

"Let's do it again. Pick your sword up. We begin the fight."

A small nod came from the boy and he lifted his weapon, on guard.

"Try to strike me." The man cheered. He wanted to evaluate his method, how much force he used and if he did it correctly.

The sound of metal clunking against metal resonated around the room as Darius lifted his axe to prevent the sword from hitting him straight on in the chest. He pushed back and Ethanial lost his balance, nearly tripping. To prevent from falling, the boy moved his feet quickly, and before Darius knew it, his son's sword got too close to his face, trying to catch him off guard, but the Noxian was quick and the sword ended up flying across the room again.

"That was good. Again."

Their weapons hit repeatedly, Darius trying to push the boy's limits, each blow he dealt being much stronger than the last. Exhaustion was starting to appear on Ethanial's face, before their last stand off. The boy dodged a blow quickly and freed his hand to momentarily move it towards the General's face. A flash of light shot from it and blinded the man, forcing him to retreat. When he could see again, there was a long blade about to poke him in the throat and at the base of the weapon, a very smug face was looking at him.

"You lied about your magical abilities?" The tone was reproachful, with a slight note of pride in it.

"N-no, I…" Ethanial dropped the sword and looked slightly ashamed. "That's easy to do. I just thought I could incorporate it to the fight."

"Nicely thought, but that's enough for today. You have done well." Darius said, flinging his axe gently, so it landed on the table. He started to take off his armour and stretched, massaging a spot in his neck. He turned to look at the boy, who was panting in the oversized armour he'd been forced to wear.

He looked into his son's face. It was red and sweaty, but in his eyes he didn't see the resentment that has previously been there. Instead, he saw respect. He smiled smugly at the sight and helped Ethanial out of the protective covering. The boy mumbled a small thanks and plopped himself on the bench, to rest.

"And what have we learnt today?"

"To respect my superiors."

Darius smiled and nodded, turning around to place the armour on the table. Before he could look back at the boy, he heard voices and someone entered the training room.

Lux and Ezreal walked in, the latter looking around nervously. The light mage hurried up to her son and hugged him tightly. The picture was kind of strange. No one would believe they were related, let alone mother and son. She looked only ten years older, if that.

Her bright eyes turned to Darius and she smiled at him, warming his heart a little, although he would never admit that.

"How'd he do?" She asked quickly, her smile still spread on her face.

"He is good. There is much potential. He may continue with the lessons."

"It's his decision." Ezreal had walked up to the boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. Ethanial nodded meekly, looking at the General.

The Noxian watched them, finding it increasingly hard to think of them as a family. Especially not when Lux stared straight into his eyes with a confidential look in them. He knew what it meant.

* * *

"So, the boy's good." She stated, taking her top off. He was already half naked, lying on the bed, impatiently waiting for her. Gods, it had been forever.

"Yes." He grunted as he held his hands out to grab her and she nearly threw herself at him. His lips were on her skin, brushing against her neck and shoulder and spoiling her with sweet kisses everywhere.

"Takes after you." She mumbled kindly, a small smile appearing on her face as she shivered due to the contact of his attention to her skin.

"He takes after you as well." He responded, before nipping her shoulder gently. She gasped and threw her head back.

"He does?"

"Used his magic to blind me." Lux smirked at him, an eyebrow raised. He knew what was coming if he didn't stop it. "Once."

"I told you he's smart."

"He's more than smart. He's resourceful."

His hands trailed to her waist and started caressing her. She moaned and straddled his hips, impatiently grinding against him. But he had other plans.

"I don't see any hickies…" He teased, trailing a calloused finger up and down her neck before a smirk appeared on his features.

"Yeah, Ezreal and I haven't been intimate for a while."

The love bites were a familiar topic with a slight degree of irony to it. One time, on a passionate night of love making, he nearly didn't notice that Lux was covered in bruises he was sure he hadn't left there. After pointing that out, she had no other choice but to admit she was having sex with him.

"Problems in paradise?" It was his turn now to raise an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes at him in response.

"I haven't been in the mood for it."

"Yet here you are…" He commented, his tone nearly cheerful as his roaming hands landed on her breasts and he gave them a squeeze. He heard the sharp intake of breath she took and snickered quietly.

"I'll rephrase. I haven't been in the mood… for _him_." She put both her hands on either side of his head and lowered her body to kiss him on the mouth.

"You'll need to explain more." Now, Darius didn't mind that she bedded both of them. He wasn't jealous of him because he knew she'd always come back. But there was a certain something he got out of being chosen over the other. He smirked as she blushed.

"Well, I… just… wanted you." She simply said, and that was enough. They were kissing again, and he enveloped her small body in his tight arms and brought her towards him, so she was lying on top of him.

* * *

Talon had just finished a particularly good match when he saw her. Katarina was crouching on the roof of the Institute, clearly spying on someone. He rolled his eyes and decided to abort his current mission: heading back to his room, to clamber up the walls and maybe have some fun.

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know?" He whispered, taking her by surprise. She quickly turned her head to stare at him, defying him slightly with her gaze.

"How'd you…?"

"Sneak up on you?" He chuckled. "I live in the shadows, Kat. Thought you'd know it by now?"

She hushed him and continued what she was doing. He cocked his head to the side, staring at her.

"What is it this time?" He asked, crouching next to her.

"The boy." Was all she said. He followed her gaze and found himself staring at Ethanial, who was sitting on a bench, talking to Ekko.

"Go on, then, surprise me."

"I'm trying to figure out who his real father is."

"You don't believe the Ezreal bullshit either, right?" He chuckled slightly, the laugh getting caught in his throat.

"Not one bit. Do you think its Jayce's?"

"And why lie and say the father's Ezreal? It makes no sense."

"I completely agree. She's covering up a lie with such a stupid pawn."

"Jayce would've been better."

They were silent for a while.

"There is a certain… Noxian air to him." Katarina finally said, squinting ever so slightly.

"I thought I was the only one to notice it." Talon whispered. He observed as the adolescents talked and laughed.

"Is he yours?" Her voice was sharp as she snapped her head around to look at him.

"What? No!" He was nearly amused by her accusations. "My blades might be dirty but my sheets aren't soiled."

"The boy does look like you, you know. Smallish figure. Dark hair. I just assumed…"

"Well you assumed wrong." They were silent again, until he broke it. "But my guess is he's Noxian alright."

"Well, if he's not yours… I just…" She stammered, frustrated. "I want to figure this out, dammit!"

"He doesn't have to be a champion in the League, Kat. I dunno, Lux goes on many trips. What if she just has a Noxian lover?"

"Hmmm, you may be right. Just the other week she was away for four days…"

"How long have you been spying on them?" He asked, slightly freaked out by her.

"Oh, you know… some time…" She mumbled, then went back to observing Ethanial.

"Huh." Talon chuckled a few minutes later. Katarina turned her head towards him, her attention pricked. The right corner of his mouth turned into a sly smile and he looked more amused than happy.

"What?" She inquired.

"What is it with Crownguards and Noxians?" He chuckled, his eyes locked onto hers, eagerly awaiting her reaction.

"What are you talking about?" She responded, pretending not to be interested, turning her attention back to the boys and tossing her hair away.

"Don't pull that shit on me, Kat. Everyone fucking knows." He whispered, leaning towards her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You fuck Garen." He finally grinned at her, enjoying the outraged look on her face. He got up, bowed curtly and flung himself off the roof, falling nicely on the one below it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry this took so long to be posted but quite a few things happened. First, my computer broke down. Well, it didn't exactly break down but it wasn't working so… Secondly, I had written a whole chapter for this and I lost it because I am a complete idiot. It left me really demotivated to continue writing this as I thought it had come out perfectly and I knew I could never do it again. How did I lose it, you ask? Just don't do anything when you are truly exhausted. I didn't think straight and I replaced the wrong document. Also, trying to fix it I nearly lost ALL my files.**

 **Also, when reading all your comments I realised I had made a terrible mistake. I had centred on the story I'm trying to tell and had forgotten that it's important to talk about the characters, their feelings and interactions. Yeah, I'm coming off as a real idiot, aren't I?**

 **So I'm currently trying to rewrite the chapter I lost and this is just a thank you for all my wonderful readers. I hope you like these flashbacks and they make you feel like it fills the fifteen year gap I'd left. (So stupid…)**

 **I was actually going to upload this and the original fourth chapter as one mega chapter but I thought that might take forever so I decided to separate them for you.**

 **Warnings: Ah, explicit scenes up ahead. If you're not comfortable, then don't read. This is probably a shippable chapter, as it doesn't affect the plot, so don't worry, you won't be missing anything crucial.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Flashback 1

Darius sighed. The match had finished and everyone was leaving, but he dragged his feet, not really wanting to leave. He had nowhere to go, nothing he really wanted to do. He could still hear some of his teammates talking, congratulating each other on their hard work.

"Good job, Darius!" Nami cheered him. "You won us that teamfight!"

"It was a team effort." He answered. "We did it together."

"Wow, so humble." Sivir spat out sarcastically, rolling her blue eyes at him.

"You did well, too, Siv!" Nami tried to cheer her, smiling uncomfortably.

"Yeah, so did you. But I'm not admitting he did it well. We got fed in bot." She muttered, walking away, the other following behind.

The General swung his axe over his shoulder and sighed. He felt pretty empty since it had been nearly a month since he'd seen Lux. Well, he'd _seen_ her, he just hadn't been fucking her raw. He tried to tell himself it was just that but he knew he missed her presence. Not just the sex. He missed her smell, her touch, her laugh, her warmth.

He growled in frustration as he walked past the other champions. He needed a shower and maybe tend to some matters. Like why was she on his mind so much.

It wasn't just Lux that was driving him mad. He'd seen little Ethanial running around the garden and every time he did, Darius felt wretched inside. Something clasped his heart when he saw Ezreal pick up his son and twirl him around, playing with him. So the Noxian did the only thing he could do, which was clench his teeth together, furrow his brow and push the feelings aside.

'How old's the kid, anyway?' He thought to himself, ridding himself of his battle armour and changing into more comfortable clothes. He mentally calculated the child should be around five by now. 'Is this how it's going to be forever?'

He had long ago reached the conclusion that this was the only way it could work out. But it pained him. He had always wanted a son – something unlike Draven though – and now that he did have one, he had to pretend he had nothing to do with him. And watch as others played the fatherly figure.

'Well if you want a kid that badly just get some Noxian woman pregnant.' A deep dark voice inside his head said and he narrowed his eyes at the thought. He knew he was only thinking that out of spite, because he'd seen his child with another man. He didn't want any other son, he wanted Ethanial. He didn't want to get any other woman pregnant, he loved Lux.

Darius slowly walked to his apartment, sighing. He passed a few champions on his way but he paid them no heed. To his surprise, he saw Lux. She had the other child with her. Candle or something, was her name. He couldn't quite remember, and he didn't care. He knew she wasn't his. The Light Mage had told him how persistent Ezreal had been on having a child with her. She was holding the toddler in her arms and some other champion was playing with her.

In two swift strides, the General passed by them, but his gaze centred on Lux, and she was looking at him, a suggestive smile on her lips, which made him think she wanted to see him. It was the only way for him to not go mad, by pretending she felt the same way.

Once in his bathroom, he stripped, humming to himself, now somehow happier. He almost didn't hear the knock on his door. He groaned, annoyed, wishing it wasn't Draven and tied a towel around his waist.

"Comin'" He grumbled, opening up to find a now childless Lux smiling broadly at him. She entered quickly and waited for him to close the door before she kissed him passionately.

"Are you sure you don't want a key?" He grunted, pulling her close to him.

"And what if Ezreal finds it and investigates where it comes from?"

"Yeah, you're right." He kissed her again. He'd missed those lovely lips of hers. "But that way you could come whenever you want."

"It's hard to come when I want." She whispered, pulling her arms around his neck. "Having two small children to look after and all. And Ezreal's getting quite needy."

"Needy?" He asked, walking them to his bathroom and kissing her neck until she wriggled.

"It's like he's constantly asking for sex." Lux muttered, panting and gasping. "I don't know what's up with him."

"It's 'cause he has you." Darius muttered, pulling at her shirt, but she denied him the right, giggling.

Surprised, he pulled back and she took the opportunity to trace her hands over his defined chest. He watched as she did this, enjoying the feeling of her dainty fingers softly caressing his body. She looked up to him, smiling sweetly, before licking his abs, trailing her tongue up and down, teasing, biting and even scratching with her teeth. Darius occasionally grunted in appreciation, and he growled in satisfaction when she traced her nails across his back, surely leaving red marks. She liked it most when he was rough with her and the only way she knew that made him be that way with her was to wind him up, tease him sexually.

Not being able to control himself anymore he pushed her head up and kissed her deeply, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

"So you wanna play, huh?" He grunted, smirking. He unravelled the towel and showed her his awaiting manhood. "Suck it."

Excited, Lux dropped to her knees, knowing he was getting in that mood she liked so very much. She started stroking him eagerly, forcing grunts and groans out of his mouth. His hands twitched and, not knowing what to do with them, he stuffed them into her hair, earning a sweet gasp from her. He chuckled as he tugged on her blonde locks, wanting her mouth on his dick, really badly.

"Quit teasing!" He grunted when she showed no intentions of cooperating.

She smirked lustfully at him, but lowered her head, ready to pleasure him once and for all. She took him in her mouth, her tongue toying with his head, circling it skilfully.

She moved her head as it slithered in and out of her mouth and he closed his eyes, letting the pleasure rise up his body. He almost whined when she trailed her teeth, teasing him some more.

"Hey, you've gotten better." He whispered, a smirk on his features. "Has Ezreal been begging for these?"

Lux's eyebrows twitched and then, maybe to punish him for saying that, her mouth was gone. He widened his eyes, startled, and watched as she played innocent, licking her bottom lip delicately.

He forced her up from her knees and only let her go when she had stood up properly. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her hungrily. She was going to pay for playing this game. He grabbed her wrists and turned her around quickly, forcing her against the cold wall of his bathroom. He closed the distance between them and pressed himself against her arse.

"Darius!" She whined in need, throwing her head back to get closer to him.

"If you wanted to play you should've come before."

"I _told_ you, I can't! Nggghnn…" She finished her sentence in moans instead of words when she felt his hand making its way to her entrance. His rough fingers passed her knickers and centred their attention on her wet awaiting slit.

"I need you, Lux." He groaned, pushing her against the wall as he thrust his pelvis against hers.

"Da-Darius!" She yelled, her hands reaching back, looking to get a hold on something, anything. Her face felt both cold and hot, cold from the wall and warm because the temperature in her body had been rising even before she got on her knees to please him.

"What?" He snickered, licking her neck and then biting down on it, enjoying the delicious sounds she emitted when he did that.

"Please…"

"Heh." He said, pulling her shirt off and caressing her breasts over her bra. "So, I'm going to have a shower. You're welcome to join me, if you want."

She huffed and then groaned when he left her side, releasing her from his improvised prison. He had his back to her but he turned around and smirked at her blushing face.

"Need help getting undressed?" He commented playfully, an eyebrow raised.

"Maybe." She couldn't quite admit that she wanted his hands on her skin again but he knew the truth.

His mouth was kissing hers as he unhooked her bra and she helped by taking it off completely. His warm palms travelled to her breasts and before she could think of what was going on, his mouth spread kisses over her chest. He raised his gaze to her face and smirked at her reaction, but continued his endeavours.

She moved her hands to her trousers and when he noticed what she was doing, decided to start running the water. When he turned his attention back to her, she was fully naked and he snickered.

He entered the shower first, then offered his hand, which she took, to help her get in. They were a little cramped in the cubicle but it's not like they were thinking that. Darius licked his lips, feeling the warm water falling down on him. His arms shot out to grab her and they pressed her against his chest. She smiled before gasping as she noticed a finger had been inserted in her. Lux squirmed in pleasure as another digit was added and started moving inside of her. She pressed herself against the damp, cold wall, sighing at the contrast in temperatures.

It didn't take long for Darius to bite her shoulder and she threw her head back, in response. His hands were doing wonders down below and her panting voice kept getting caught in her throat every time his thumb pressed or teased her clit. He snickered every time she lost it although secretly he couldn't take it much longer.

Darius watched as the Light Mage's hands tried desperately to cling on to something, but only left marks on the glass or wall as she failed each time. There was a certain degree of desperation in her movements that he found extremely arousing. Maybe it was the fact that he rendered her unable to do anything else.

The desperate moaning resonating in his ears was going to drive him crazy. He was sure of that. He turned her around and kissed her on the lips.

"Touch me" He ordered, before letting himself go as her dainty fingers worked wonders on his throbbing, awaiting manhood.

"I can't take it" She moaned, looking at him through half lidded eyes. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her, wet, cheeks red and lips parted. A lustful look was written on her face and he was sure his heart had stopped. "I need you in me."

'When did it get to this?' He found himself asking this really irrelevant question as he grabbed her by the hips and hoisted her up, forcing her back against the wall, as a support. 'When did I let myself feel this way for her? When did she get so damn alluring!?'

Brushing the thoughts aside, he entered her and she moaned in content. He gasped, too, as if he'd never felt this way before. It had been so long he had nearly forgotten how good it felt to feel her like this. Her legs quickly wrapped themselves around his waist and brought him closer to her, something he was very glad about. Darius kissed her gently on the forehead before he started to move inside of her. Thrust after thrust, he found her tightening around himself.

"Fuck!" He gasped, clenching his jaw. He couldn't feel the warm water falling down on both of them, he couldn't even hear it. All he could see, hear and feel was her, moaning out his name and moving her hips to match his movements.

Her hands moved to his neck and she started kissing him, her tongue intertwining with his. His hands pressed her hips harshly as his thrusting become more forceful with each movement. He was so close to his peak he was screaming internally at himself.

'Fuck, it's been so long I'm gonna cum already!' Nervous, he forced his mouth on hers and placed her back on the ground, sliding out of her.

A protest was about to form on her lips but he started touching her breasts with one hand, the other teasing her warm slit.

"Nnnghh Dariiius…" She moaned, closing her eyes and letting her head roll against the wall. Her hands were trying to grasp something, but each time he flicked her clit, her whole body trembled and she ended giving up.

He snickered and bit her shoulder, his own dick throbbing in want as he watch her get satisfied. But he needed to calm down or he would burst.

Darius turned the water off, waking Lux up from what felt like a pleasure induced dream when he exited the shower and threw her a towel.

"What?" She asked, dazed, the warm sensation in her lower regions burning down.

"I need to fuck you properly." He said, calmly drying himself off. She quickly started on the task of eliminating the excess water, keen to be satisfied once more. She followed him to his bed and before she knew it, a strong arm had wrapped around her waist and she was forced against his chest.

His eager lips were on her skin, kissing her neck and earlobe, and she gasped, feeling the wetness pool again. His fingers didn't take long to poke her slit and rub against her clit and soon the warm feeling travelled all over her body again.

She panted, writhing uncontrollably as his hands drove her closer and closer towards the edge. His name got stuck in her throat when he rammed three fingers inside of her, no warning beforehand.

She was so close she could taste it, but suddenly she felt nothing. And when she looked down, he wasn't even going to eat her out.

"What the fuck, Darius!?" She yelled, her face red. "I'm so _close_!"

"I know" was his answer. He'd felt her walls tightening uncontrollably around him, but had decided something better. He got up and walked towards a drawer, where he got something out.

"What are you doing?"

He turned around, a condom in between his fingers.

"Protection." He muttered, tearing the package open with his teeth and walking towards her. "Want to put it on?"

She grabbed the condom from his hands and slid it on him, smiling slyly while doing so. When it was fully on, he pushed her back onto the bed and started kissing her passionately.

Before she could think straight, he shoved himself inside her and she panted out in sweet pleasure as he started moving again, each thrust striking a warm feeling that travelled all over her body.

He bit her shoulder as he held her close to him, fucking her violently. She clung on to him as hard as she could, her nails digging into his back, fuelling him further. Lux had her eyes closed shut as she bit her own hand, trying to hush her voice.

"Don't" He panted, raising his body and forcing her hand away from her mouth.

Unhappy that he'd stopped, she pushed him off herself. It's not like she could make him budge, he'd just humoured her. She made him lay down while she straddled him, forcing the frantic rhythm she was craving. She threw her head back as she moved her hips violently, her clit rubbing pleasantly, increasing her pleasure by ten. Her hands landed on his chest, scratching and teasing his bare skin until she started to lose control, and that's when he took over, grabbing her hips firmly and guiding her actions.

She couldn't take it anymore and with one last moan, the climax she had been building exploded inside of her and her back arched. He snickered, but secretly, he was pretty close himself. Turning them around, he forced Lux face down onto the mattress but hoisted her hips up, adjusting them to the right angle for his perfect entrance. Darius started fucking her violently, earning even more groans of ecstasy from her, who was still enjoying the waves of pleasure that had come from her orgasm.

It didn't take long for him to close his eyes shut and a loud gasp to erupt from his mouth as he climaxed. Panting, he slid out of her and took the condom off, discarding it quickly by throwing it on the floor. Meanwhile she fell face first onto the bed, too tired to even be bothered by it.

Exhausted, he fell on the bed beside her and she snuggled up to him, both of their chests still heaving. His arms wrapped around and forced her even closer to him, so that she could hear every beat of his heart.

"I still can't believe you prefer it rough." He commented, once his breathing had calmed down.

"It's more intense." She shrugged. "I feel it more."

They were silent for a while, but she kissed him on the nose and then the corner of his mouth. A light giggle escaped her as he watched her.

"What do you prefer?"

"Slow. But I just can't help myself when you work me up like that."

"You'd rather go slow?" She inquired, biting her lip.

"Yeah, it's more intense that way." He grabbed one of the sheets and tucked them both in, making sure she wouldn't get cold. He rolled his head on the pillow and sighed, exhausted.

She was annoyed with herself. How come after all those years she still didn't know what he preferred in bed? Sure, she knew what happened when she stroked him or when she traced her tongue delicately around the head of his cock, which always made him gasp and groan. But had she really been so blind to his pleasure that she hadn't realised this really important thing? She sighed, giving up. At least she knew now.

She played with his damp hair while he watch the amused look she had on her face when she did so.

"You should head back to Ezreal." He whispered after a while. "He'll grow suspicious otherwise."

"Yeah, I know. What a draaaaaaaag." She whined, forcing herself to an upright position. Her whole body felt sore, but she stretched and got up to go to the bathroom in search of her clothes.

She'd put her shirt on when Darius entered the room and grabbed her chin. He leaned in and kissed her, taking her by surprise.

"I still need that shower." He said, turning the water back on. "Show yourself out."

"Sure." She muttered, grabbing her discarded trousers from the floor.

"You, uh, should come more often." He muttered, entering the shower and closing the door behind himself.

"I know. It was nice seeing you."

"Same." He turned the water off and applied some shampoo to his hair.

"I love you." She whispered, smiling at him. When she got no answer, she turned around, left and closed the bathroom door behind her.

A few seconds later, Darius heard the front door being closed and he sighed in frustration.

"Love you too." He muttered, irritated. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid!'

Lux made sure to hurry away from that place, but her heart was beating oddly fast. She felt a little uptight. She knew she wouldn't see him in a long while. Or maybe she was worried that Ezreal would find out. Or, worse, it was the fact that he hadn't said he loved her back.

Discarding the thoughts and planting a smile on her face, she opened the door to her own apartment.

Ezreal was in the kitchen, stirring something he was cooking and Ethanial, who'd been clinging onto him hurried towards Lux, wanting to be picked up by his mummy. She lifting him up and kissed his nose sweetly.

"Welcome home!" The explorer called from the other room.

A delicious smell struck her and she noticed she was actually starving. She placed her son on the ground and walked to the kitchen and the boy followed her as fast as he could.

"Hi." She smiled at Ezreal, her previous worries all gone. She looked at him wearing an apron and trying his best to be the perfect husband-like figure, and her heart melted a little. "Smells nice."

"Where'd you go?" He asked absentmindedly as he scooped a spoonful of the soup he was preparing to let her taste it. When he turned around and saw her, he frowned. "Why's your hair wet?"

"Oh, I went to see Nami. Fizz thought it was a good idea to shove me into her pool." Lux lied smoothly, glad she'd come up with such a perfect excuse. She was also happy he hadn't noticed her clothes were mostly dry and she secretly begged for it to continue that way.

"Fizz is a dick, I'll have to teach him a few things next time I see him."

"Let it be." She kissed him on the lips lightly. "You know how he is. It's just a silly prank, don't sweat it. Hey, where's Candella?"

"On her high chair, waiting to be fed. I was just warming up her supper."

"I'll feed her." Lux smiled. "Thanks for taking care of the kids."

"It's nothing, you know that." He grinned back at her.

'The perfect family.' She bitterly thought to herself. 'Except it isn't.'

* * *

Flashback 2

"Boy, am I tired." Ezreal huffed, throwing himself on the sofa. He looked at her, cocked his head and grinned. "You too?"

"Yeah, I'm exhausted."

"I shouldn't have asked for the second kid." The teenager giggled, grabbing Lux's hand and forcing her to sit down next to him, and when she did, he placed an arm around her shoulders and snuggled close to her. "I've had a great day, though."

"Mhm, me too."

"Hey, Lux, what's up?"

"Hm?" She finally looked at him.

"You're acting strange. It's like you're worried or something."

She bit her lip and looked into his charming blue eyes. It was true they'd had a wonderful day. They'd taken the kids to the Rift, but for a little walk, and to see the dragons and Baron Nashor. It was sort of like a theme park, or more like a zoo. There were no other champions aloud when they went there so that there would be no fighting, guaranteed. After that they'd had ice cream, walked around the gardens, played a bit with Annie (after making sure she understood the no burning anyone rule) and finally they'd had some cupcakes at Morgana's bakery. Pantheon (who had been working there for a little over a year now) had even treated Candella to a little biscuit in the shape of a star.

And maybe it _was_ that. The fact they'd had a wonderful day. And it had been _Ezreal's_ idea, all of it. _And_ he'd surprised with her favourite ice cream flavour _and_ favourite toppings.

"So" He whispered, facing her now. One hand went to her face to remove a strand of blonde hair from her eyes. "Anything troubling you?"

When she said nothing he smiled and kissed her lips delicately. Her heart started beating strongly in her chest and she blushed slightly.

"Did Pantheon try to flirt with you or something?"

"No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

And Lux wanted to say 'Why don't I love you?' but it just felt so wrong. And it wasn't like she didn't _love_ him. It was just… well… he wasn't Darius.

But at the same time, Darius wouldn't have taken her on a day out with the kids and treated her to ice cream and cupcakes. Or maybe he would? If things were different? If she were Noxian, would he surprise her like that? Yes? No? She didn't know the answer and she didn't know how that made her feel.

"It's that…" She tried to come up with an excuse. He knew her all too well. He knew something was up and wouldn't rest until she told him what was bothering her. Except she couldn't tell him. "Well, I'm just worried."

"About?" She fumbled with her words, frantically moving her hands, as if they were the ones that would do the explaining. He tried to help her. "Is it Ethanial? You worried about his magic? Candella?"

"Well, there is a bit of that." She answered, relieved he'd come up with something before she could. "I don't want them to enter the League. They're just children… Candella is five, for Jarvan's sake!"

"They're not going to enter the League, Lux." He said, hugging her to calm her down. "They made an agreement and they're still younger than Annie. You know how she'd get if a younger champion than her were to enter…"

"But…!"

"And Ethanial's magic is progressing along fine. So what if Candella's a natural and he isn't? He's got loads of good qualities and things he's excellent at."

"That… actually made me feel better." She tried her best to smile. It was a half lie, but the fact that he was worried about her... made her feel special.

"That's cool." He smiled and kissed her cheek. "You know I like making you happy. I want you to be happy." He got up from the sofa and stretched. He turned around and offered his hand for her to get up. But then, the smile left his face and it turned sombre. "Actually, Lux, there is something I want to talk to you about."

"Yeah?" She whispered, scared what could have possibly upset him.

"You've been avoiding me as of late and look…" He sighed. "I can take it sometimes. I know you get moody, and you get your period and you need your you time, but it's gotten out of hand lately. It really pains me to see it come to this."

"Come to what?" She said, her voice catching in her throat.

"No, no, no, no!" Ezreal realised that Lux was getting really scared just in time. He grabbed her sweetly and hugged her tightly. "Calm down, Lux. I'm not telling you off, I'm just worried for you. I'm not breaking up with you or anything, either."

"Wo-worried?" Lux bit her lip once more. Nothing he was saying wasn't true. She had been avoiding him recently. She had been away. She had been selfishly devoting herself to Darius, lying to Ezreal to go to the other. Of course it was going to hurt the blond. How hadn't she realised before? "I-I'm sorry."

"Oh, gods, forget I said anything." He looked into her eyes, deeply worried. He hated seeing her like that.

"It's just that… I've been feeling… a little down lately." She lied, surprised at herself. Although she had lied so many times to him already it was more of a surprise that she hadn't realised she did it automatically by now. "And I thought that you wouldn't understand and that's why I've been away and also I didn't want you to know because you would get scared and I was afraid of telling you because you'd be upset and I thought I might take it out on you or the kids and I didn't want to do that and…"

"Lux" He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes. "Tell me everything now. You need to tell me these things. I get worried because I know something is troubling you and I want to help you."

"No. I'm sorry for what I did. You tell me how you feel."

"How I… feel?" He cocked his head to the side and thought about it. "I well… I love you."

"Not that, tell me something I don't know. Even if I don't like it. I need to hear it."

"Well, I am a bit… upset. Or maybe disappointed."

"Because?"

He looked around nervously, trying to avert her gaze.

"Promise me you won't get cross."

"I promise."

"We haven't been intimate in a really long time. I mean really, really long. It's been like three months. And I'm upset because… Look, I understand sometimes you don't want to have sex. It's not me, it's just you're not in the mood. Pressure from the matches or the kids or whatever. But recently it just feels like it's _because_ of me. And I've tried everything! Asking you nicely, getting you in the mood, giving you massages…"

The Light Mage looked at him, horrified at how much she'd neglected him and how she hadn't even noticed. She couldn't believe it.

"I need a moment." She whispered, sitting back down on the sofa. She put her head in her hands and stared at the floor, reconsidering the last seven years, from the day she knew she was pregnant with Ethanial. What had gone wrong?

At first, she'd been confused about her feelings. And well, pregnant, which didn't help. Her emotions were out of control constantly and she spent her days crying and laughing and anything in between. But she knew she loved Darius. She had made sure it wasn't just lust. And Ezreal… until the day he'd promised to be the father of her baby, she hadn't really considered him anything more than a friend. Sure, he was sweet and thoughtful, maybe a bit cocky and boyish, but that's it, a close friend. But he started being so nice to her, and kissing and pampering her and she kind of… gave in. She liked the attention, but she'd never thought of returning it. Was that all Ezreal meant to her?

She would do anything for Darius, he was the first thing on her mind, even before herself (this is before her children were born, she couldn't bear to let anything happen to them now) but she never thought of the young explorer…

There was a point later on when she was so busy with the children she kind of let go of Darius. And he complained bitterly (by giving her angry shower sex) so the attention was put back on him. So since then, she'd made a really big effort to spend more of her time with him. And she'd cut back from… Ezreal. It had been _years_ since then, so god knows how long the teenager had been feeling that way without expressing himself. And recently, Lux had been spending even more time with Darius… forcing Ezreal to stay with the kids. One of which wasn't even his.

And it was true, she avoided him sexually. He would ask her nicely, or try to kiss her and she'd reject him, night after night. It must've been really painful for the lad. But he'd kept on fighting and waiting for her. Even when most of the time she'd just agreed to have sex with him to shut him up and she wasn't that into it.

The Light Mage felt like she'd been punched in the heart. By herself. She felt so stupid she wanted to slap herself. And it was then, finally, that she realised she really did have some feelings for Ezreal. They weren't as strong as the ones she felt for Darius, but they were there. And right now, she wanted to make things better.

"Ezreal" She finally said, standing up and meeting his eyes with hers. She looked deeply into them, and then at his face, and was marvelled by how _pretty_ he was. It was strange to call a man pretty, but he was. With a shaking hand, she stroked his blond locks, removing them carefully away from his face. She leaned in and kissed his lips softy. His arms wrapped around her waist and she moaned gently.

She let go and grabbed him by the hand.

"I'm sorry for everything I'd done to hurt you. Please know that I never intended for it to happen, I was just thinking about myself and that's selfish and I'm sorry for it. I know I can't really make it for you but I'll try anyway. Ezreal, I'm going to make love to you."

His mouth opened wide and his eyes lit up. He blushed, trying to smile and play it cool, but she grinned at his reaction. Taking him by the hand she guided him to their room, closed the door behind him and threw him onto the bed gently.

She laid on top of him and kissed him lustfully. She was surprised at how badly she wanted it. He tried to stop himself, but it had been too long, too much restraint. His hands desperately wanted to touch her body, so much it nearly ached. Unable to control himself anymore, he kissed her hungrily and then licked and bit her neck until she moaned his name.

Gasping, she leaned back a bit and smiled confidently at him.

"You ready for a night you'll never forget?" She asked, grinning.

"Ready!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Heeeey! Forgot to mention a few things on my previous chapter. First of all, thanks a lot to everyone who reviews, especially the nice reviews, they really make my day! I feel so happy reading them!**

 **This took so long mainly because I hate editing, but on the plus side chapter 6 is pretty much finished and all it needs is some… _editing_.**

 **I've also changed a few things from the previous chapter (mainly grammar errors and the such), but nothing too important.  
**

 **Back to plot it is, I guess!**

* * *

Chapter 5

"You agreed to what!?" Talon coughed up part of his drink, as he'd chocked on it while laughing at the surprising thing Katarina had just said to him.

"What? It's perfect. That kid is literally brain dead. I mean, I'm already spying on him and all of his family and then he goes and _asks_ for training classes. It's like he _wants_ me to spy on him some more."

"Maybe he's just got a crush on you." The other teased, grinning. "He's at that age. He must be curious about girls and seeing a striking woman like you, well…"

"Oh, you think I'm striking now, huh?" Katarina smirked, now her turn to tease.

"I'm surprised you said yes." Talon mulled it over out loud, ignoring what she'd just said.

"Like I would refuse such a golden opportunity!" She huffed, rolling her eyes.

"When are you going to train him?" He asked.

"Tomorrow morning." She said, finishing her own drink in one go and getting up. She left some coins on the table and walked out of the Bar of Legends, not turning back to look at him.

'I will not fail.' She thought, walking back home, a sly grin spread on her face. 'Tomorrow's my time to shine.'

* * *

The sight Darius encountered that morning was more than just peculiar. He entered the training room only to find Katarina and Ethanial chatting. She was touching his arm in an over-protective kind of way which made him narrow his eyes in suspicion. The General felt that something was off as he walked over to them, who hadn't even noticed he'd entered.

"Good morning." He said when he was within listening range.

"Oh! Good morning, Darius!" Ethanial jumped a little when he heard his voice and quickly started stumbling with his words. "I'm sorry, I asked Katarina to train me yesterday, I'm eager to learn about knife throwing and daggers, I hope you don't mind."

"I do recall you telling me you were interested, yeah." The Noxian scratched his chin before looking at the woman. "Katarina, can I have a word with you, please?"

"Sure" She answered sweetly before turning to Ethanial. "Keep practising. Remember, it's all in the wrist. When you think you have the movement done, try it out on those practice dummies I set up for you."

They left the room and she quickly sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ok, what's this." He grunted, baring his teeth at her.

"What's _what_?" She answered bitterly, almost disgusted.

"This is none of my business I guess but it still sickens me. Isn't he a bit too young for you?"

"What?" Her mouth dropped open and she finally looked up at him.

"I saw the way you were touching him, Kat."

"Wait, it's not what you think!" She started to panic, waving her hands in front of her.

"Plus I thought you already had a Crownguard?" Darius raised an eyebrow, now amused, especially by her reaction.

"I'm just going to ignore that." She muttered, but then she looked serious. "Ok, I'll just tell you. I don't believe that Ezreal is that child's father and I'm trying to figure out who his real dad is."

"That's ridiculous, Katarina. Why would they lie to us?"

"Because I believe the father is Noxian." She responded bluntly. Darius' eyebrows raised and he took a step back in alarm.

"Well, that would explain the lying thing... But, I'm still not convinced."

"Look at him, Darius! He _looks_ Noxian!"

The General was silent for a few seconds. He had to be very careful with everything he worded.

"Do you have any candidates?" He whispered after a while.

"Well…"

"He resembles Talon a little bit." Darius cocked his head, pretending to be deep in thought.

"I also thought that. But I already talked to him and he denied it. He's like a brother to me… I know when he lies to me and he didn't lie to me then."

Darius's eyebrows creased.

"I'm trying to think of candidates. Jayce? He's not Noxian, I know, but…"

"Then why have Ezreal cover up?" Katarina grunted, rolling her eyes.

"True. It is odd…" Darius sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"So, I was thinking…" Katarina talked slowly, trying to find a way to say what she needed to without messing it up. "That Draven might have something to do with it."

"Draven?" The General raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to react.

"Oh, don't look so surprised. You know how he is."

Darius sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I have caught Draven trying to have sex with women before, but isn't it a little ridiculous?"

"Get your head out of your arse, Darius." Katarina snapped, her eyes narrowing and boring into his. "Your brother is a disgusting excuse for a human being."

"He's still my brother." The man snarled, slamming a fist against the wall beside her. "And you have no right to speak like that about him, especially with no evidence."

"That's why I came here. To you. To the kid."

"To me?" He moved the hand away from the wall, but was still inches away from her face, his posture not at all relaxed and his eyes still searched her face frantically.

"He looks a bit like Draven." She whispered, looking away. "And who knows Draven more than anyone?"

"I think the correct answer to that one is Draven."

"Darius! Be serious here! Do you _really_ think Ezreal is the father?" Katarina nearly whined.

There was a silence before the man shook his head and whispered a low "No." He sighed and rested his back against the wall. "I stopped Draven from abusing Lux a very long time ago. I don't know exactly when, but I stopped it. Although I cannot say that it didn't happen again."

"Are you being serious?" She questioned, needing to make sure.

"Yes. I heard her trying to scream and broke down the door to his place. Found her crying and I intervened. I don't care about her – or any Demacian, really – but I cannot tolerate those kind of actions, especially not coming from blood of my blood."

"Yet you care about this kid." She stated, her eyes pierced onto his.

"I don't see him like that. He's not Demacian, he wasn't raised there. He's not part of the war."

"Why are you training him?"

"And you?" He muttered, an eyebrow raised, like he was accusing her.

"You know my intentions. I need to know yours."

"Like that would change anything." He snorted, but turned to look at her, serious. "Swain's orders. I cannot say anything more."

"Swain? He looked pretty pissed off when you announced you were going to train him. I don't believe you."

"It was an act, Kat. Swain is interested in the boy, thinks he has much potential. I am prohibited to say anything else but try to put that pretty little head to use." He snapped.

She was silent for a while, thinking. If the boy was good – and apparently he was – could Swain actually use him for something? Claim him, make a soldier out of him? Was Darius's training a good enough excuse to make him a slave for Noxus? Or maybe they were thinking of kidnapping him? He was the son of _at least_ one League Champion, had some magical power and Katarina was sure that was worth quite a lot. Was that what he was trying to make her understand but couldn't say?

"And would anything change for Swain _if_ Draven was the father?" She swallowed, slightly scared to ask what was on her mind.

"It'll make things easier, I guess. But honestly I can't come to terms with the fact that you are imposing the idea of that kid being my _niece_."

"There's no other way! Look, same hair, same body type! And _you_ even told me **_that_**!" Katarina raised her voice, exasperated. "Plus, seeing how Draven is, I'm surprised he doesn't have like twenty other bastard children."

Darius groaned, uncomfortable. "Do you know what consequences could come from the things you are implying?"

She looked at him, cocking her head slightly and frowning.

"I don't think I understand."

"This is huge, Kat! This is _bad_!" The General exploded, stressing the last word. "A child between a Noxian and a Demacian? And the parents are both League Champions? If any of this information leeks out you're going to ruin the life of Ethanial, Lux and probably Ezreal's as well."

"And Draven's." She whispered, but she was slowly understanding what the man was trying to tell her.

"Yeah, him too. It might even be bad for me, too. For training him or something. They could come up with anything. And sure, we don't care about them, but do they _really_ deserve any of this?"

"Wow, Darius." She leaned against the wall and smiled slyly at him. "You've gone soft."

He snarled, exasperated and turned around, huffing his annoyance. If he wasn't careful he wouldn't be able to control his anger and fear and he could blow his own cover up.

"But, you're right." She muttered, rolling her eyes, ashamed of admitting it. "They don't deserve it. Don't get me wrong, Draven should rot in Hell."

"And who'd be your drinking buddy, then?" He teased, knowing fully well that Katarina enjoyed many nights partying with his brother.

At the mention of a 'drinking buddy' an idea struck Katarina and a huge smirk appeared on her face, before she composed herself and looked at the General, serious.

"Okay, enough speculation. We don't know the truth. Let's just get these training classes out of the way."

"Yeah." Darius muttered, walking to the door and opening it, letting her in before him. They entered the training room just as Ethanial threw a dagger, hitting a dummy square in the chest.

"That was pretty good!" Katarina encouraged him, walking to him and patting his back.

They started talking as Darius watched them from the door.

'Thank god I have her fooled.' He thought, finally being able to sigh in relief. It had been a very stressful few minutes, and he wasn't sure he would've lasted much longer. 'But she fell straight for the bait. She really is just a dumb bitch.'

'The kid's a natural.' Katarina told herself, watching as the boy flicked his wrist, practising what she'd just taught him. 'Like someone else we know…'

Darius leaned against the wall, watching as his son threw three daggers, all of them landing perfectly in what would be the chest, the head and the gut of one of the dummies.

'My son really is good.' He thought to himself. He already knew it, though. He was a good fighter, strong and persistent, but he didn't know about his throwing ability. It was pretty impressive.

"The League's gonna be all over you, kid." Darius remarked from where he stood. "But if you want a tip, keep a few secrets to yourself. They'll get greedy."

"Ok!" The boy answered, smiling broadly at him. The Noxian hated that smile of his. It was beautiful, but he didn't loathe it because of it. He hated it because of how it made him feel. And every time he saw it, it made him feel the same, like a black hole had settled in his stomach and was sucking him from all his happiness. Because his own son would never know he was his father.

'I just need Katarina to keep her mouth shut.' He'd known for a while that she was spying on Ethanial. C'mon, Darius wasn't dim. He was pretty sure the boy wasn't either, but he was probably too naïve to see what was going on. But the General was sure he'd killed two birds with one stone. He'd stopped Kat from intruding any further, especially when she was closing in on the truth and he'd even made her believe he was innocent. And if all went well, she would never expose what she thought was the "truth".

* * *

Katarina really liked the Bar of Legends. She especially liked it on a weekday, where fewer people gathered there. She smirked, going in and finding Ezreal waiting for her on a table, twirling his fingers nervously.

"So, what do you wanna talk about?" The explorer asked when the Noxian woman sat next to him, way too close for him to be comfortable. He wriggled away, but she placed a hand on the table and leaned in.

"Don't be shy, babe. Let's order something to drink. Whatcha want? It's on me, tonight."

With a quick wrist movement, she ordered Miss Fortune, the bartender, over. Sarah walked up to them, a playful smirk on her face.

The good thing about the Bar of Legends is that you could meet up with any champion you wanted without being judged, and the bar itself actually encouraged everyone to be friendly to each other, but it also had some downsides to it. Like the smirking redhead that stared at them.

"Interesting." She said. "What'll you have?"

Katarina smiled at her, looked at Ezreal and ordered for both of them. The boy looked away, slightly embarrassed because he was being seen being chummy with her.

When their beverages arrived, the Noxian made them toast and encouraged the boy to drink as much as he could. He was able to slam the glass, now empty, on the table and the woman next to him congratulated him, asking for another round.

"What did you wanna talk about?" He repeated, wiping his mouth sloppily with his sleeve.

"It's about Ethanial." She smiled, taking one sip of her own drink. She couldn't afford to be cocky.

"He's such a great lass, isn't he?" Ezreal smiled and reached out to continue drinking.

"Oh, yes, he's a wonderful kid. He's handsome and nice, and well, did you know I trained him today?"

"You did? That's good…" The explorer trailed off, before remembering they were talking. "Oh, how'd he do?"

"He asked me to show him to throw knifes and to use daggers. He's a natural, you know." She smiled warmly at him and noticed how the other's expression changed, looking really proud.

"He is?"

"Yeah, and he's gotten really good at fighting. He's also pretty strong."

Ezreal didn't answer, he just smiled and drank some more. Katarina nodded her head in approval.

"Darius is a good teacher." She mentioned and the other smiled and nodded in approval.

"Yeah, Ethanial is very enthusiastic of his training since he started. I'm very pleased."

"Do you know when he'll be in the League?" Katarina asked, peering into his drinking glass. "Fortune, another round!"

"I really shouldn't be having any more…" He muttered and she had a good look at him. Ezreal had turned a bright pink colour, even his ears were blushing.

"Nonsense. It's on me, remember? So have as much as you want."

Two more glasses were plonked in front of them and Katarina was forced to finish hers to encourage him to drink some more. Luckily she had the upper hand here and could see the boy was getting intoxicated.

"Do you want him to be in the League?" She asked, twirling her hair and staring provocatively at him.

"Uhh…" Ezreal was getting pretty drunk by then, being small and not having much drinking experience. His tongue felt heavy but he felt pretty ecstatic as well. "I just want him to be happy."

"So…" Kat leaned in, forcing the boy to retreat. Her warm body was getting too close to him and that was making him uncomfortable. "How's your relationship with Lux?"

"Oh, it's going great." He answered, flushed. "I love her so much."

"You're not finishing your drink, Ezreal." Her tone of voice changed. "Are you _trying_ to be rude?"

"No, no!" He panicked. He picked up his beverage and had it all in one go, which was a mistake. His head started to spin and he had to take a moment to control the situation.

"Another round!" The woman beside him shouted and he started to scream internally.

"Please, no…" He groaned, feeling woozy.

"Ah, c'mon babe, lighten up." She whispered in his ear.

Ezreal blushed and sighed, not particularly enthusiastic about the fact that he could feel her warm breath against his neck, and it kind of felt good.

"How's the sex with Lux?" Katarina asked, all of a sudden, making the other jump. "I'm just curious."

The explorer blinked twice before turning his head and muttering a quick "Good.", ashamed that he'd had to answer such a lewd question.

"That's nice to hear. I mean, you've been together for soooo long… I was just wondering if the relationship had gone awry and all that."

"Oh. It's actually never been better." He grinned enthusiastically, his face changing completely.

They continued talking and she forced Ezreal to finish his drink. She smiled, amused, when she found him (after coming from the bathroom) incoherently singing something, his head lying on the table. His face was extremely red and he looked really, really happy.

"Alright, time to take you home." She huffed, making him stand and grabbing him by his waist. "C'mon, let's go. Sarah, put it on my tab."

"Ok, have fun!" The bartender smirked knowingly at them, writing something down on a piece of paper.

'Oh, I will!' Katarina thought as she nearly dragged Ezreal out of the bar.

When she was sure they were alone and no one was around to hear them, she forced him to sit down on the ground and she crouched in front of him.

"Ezreal, focus." She clapped her hands together to pick up his attention and he looked at her, his eyes half lidded.

"You're really sexy." He muttered, turning red again. Then he bit his lip, realising what he'd said. "Oh, fuck, don't tell Lux… that I said that."

"I won't if you tell me something I want to know."

"Aight." He agreed, his head cocking to the side. She forced him upright again and he tried – he really did – to pay attention to her.

"I need to know something. Ethanial isn't your kid, right?"

Ezreal's eyes widened, and he looked focussed for once since getting drunk. He started stammering something, his whole face flushed.

"I'm gonna throw up…" He whispered, agitated. He tried to get up but she pushed him down, her face dead serious.

"Answer me."

"Y-yes. He's not mine."

"Who's the father?"

"I dunno." He slurred, looking away.

"Ezreal." She said, forcing him to look at her. "Who's the father? Tell me!"

The boy looked up at her, his lower lip trembling and his face still flushed. His eyes showed maybe pity, she couldn't quite tell, but he started to cry, which took her by surprise. She stared at him as tears slid down his cheeks and his whole body started to tremble with the force of his sobs.

"Sh-She told me she was r…r-raped." He tried to wipe the tears away but they were too many of them. "I'll kill him!"

All Katarina could do was watch him quietly. She looked at his face, saw how it contorted itself in anger and then in sadness. A little lump of pity got stuck in her throat and she couldn't make it go away no matter how much she tried to swallow the feeling away.

"I'll kill…!" Ezreal's words started to become incoherent as he tried to raise himself from the ground but she caught him and sat him down again, maybe as a way to numb the feelings that had risen after seeing him in that state.

"I'm so sorry for her." He whined then, almost coherently, which was weird since he was so intoxicated he could hardly stand. "I just really, really love her."

"She loves you too." She muttered, hoarsely. Honestly, she couldn't tell if she'd done it out of pity to comfort him, because she truly believed her words or if it was a way to get him to calm down so she could take him home.

Ezreal tried to shake his head fiercely, but got really dizzy half way through and ended up falling on his side. His tongue and general drunken state wasn't letting him express what he wanted to say.

'I can't return him in this state.' She thought and sighed. She'd never imagined he would give her this much trouble.

"Calm down, Ez." She muttered, not sure if she was unhappy at the situation or because she was forced to try and be chummy with him so he would shut up. "Let's get you home."

"Home…?" He muttered, as if the word was a new one he'd never heard before.

"To Lux." She explained, hoicking him up from the floor.

"I loooveee heeeer sooo muuuuch." He slurred or tried to sing, she wasn't quite sure. "I'm soooo happy she loves me toooooo."

"Yeah, c'mon. Where do you live?"

He pointed in the right direction and she dragged him along, getting annoyed by him gurgling idiotic things. They reached his apartment building and she asked for his keys. He fumbled in his pockets for what seemed like hours until he found them and handed them over to her. She opened the door for him and then managed to drag him in, trying to shush him.

"Be quiet, you're gonna wake the whole building up. Which one's your floor?"

"Third." They walked up the stairs in silence, but Katarina was huffing in exhaustion. He walked over to the door and leaned on it, murmuring something incomprehensible.

"See ya. Thanks." She muttered, patting his back and walking up the stairs. She hid and waited. She wanted to make sure everything ended up well between the two, and she couldn't quite understand why. Maybe it was the guilt of having gotten the teenager drunk and made him blab Lux's secret. Katarina shook her head, she couldn't have herself feeling like this over some stupid boy and his love. Annoyed, she decided she wasn't going to let herself get this soft again, and that she would pay a certain someone a visit.

The explorer started to pound the door with his knuckles, realising he had to get in. It didn't take long for Lux to swing it open and to her surprise, she had to catch a very inebriated Ezreal as he nearly fell on the floor.

"What the…?" She asked, trying to make him stand on his own legs.

"I love you, Lux." He whispered, kissing her on the mouth. She opened hers to respond and he snuck his tongue in it.

"Ezreal?" She asked, finally getting away from him. His face was bright red and his eyes seemed foggy. "Are you drunk?"

"Very." He panted, forcing his mouth on hers again. His hands found their way under her clothes and she yelped, excited.

She forced him closer to her and then closed the door behind them, letting Katarina finally relax, coming out from her hiding place.

She grinned. It had been an excellent day. And it all made sense. Ethanial, like Draven, was a natural at throwing weapons. And the Noxian was known for his unscrupulous behaviour with woman. Katarina was pretty sure he'd raped Lux and she'd gotten pregnant with the child. They even looked like each other. They had the same frame, small but strong. Even their hair colour was pretty similar.

There was no way she was wrong. Every single piece in the puzzle fitted. She knew their dirty little secret. And she would make him pay.

* * *

The following morning, Katarina couldn't have been happier. She hummed on her way through the Institute, until she found exactly who she wanted to talk to. She grabbed his hood as he passed by her quickly and he groaned in protest.

"What is it, Kat?" Talon shook her off and turned to sternly look at her. "I'm in a hurry, I have a match."

"Oh, so you don't wanna know who Ethanial's father is, then?" She grinned, folding her arms in front of her chest cockily.

"You figured it out?" His eyebrows raised in disbelief as he put his hood back on.

"But you have a match. You're in a hurry." She teased, running a dainty finger over one of his blades.

"Oh c'mon, don't be like that. Tell me quickly." He yanked them away from her but leaned in so she could whisper the name in his ear.

"It's Draven."

Talon hummed in satisfaction, rubbing his chin in thought. "Noxian. Fits that profile. Non-consensual, I guess?"

"Exactly."

"Boy, Ezreal's a loser." He chuckled.

"I _almost_ feel bad for him."

"Well, you did it, Kat. Good job." And before she could answer, he'd turned around and started running down the hall.

* * *

 **I think this whole chapter could've been written much better. Or at least, big parts of it. But I wanted to get it out, and I kind of hate it because I had to rewrite it. Sorry if it's sloppy and/or bad.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, I was wrong. A lot more than editing had to be done to this chapter (a lot of fixes, things that needed improving, added or changed…) but it's out now so please enjoy it. This is, by far, my favourite chapter, so I really hope you all like it too.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favourites, and for the attention in general. Thank you for reading it.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Draven felt uneasy. His lucky axes had gone missing and he'd looked for them everywhere and still couldn't find them. Unhappy, he went into his apartment, only to hear noises coming from his room. He pushed the door open and found Katarina lying on his bed smirking, twirling around his precious axes as if they were her daggers.

"Draaaaveeeeen" she purred, sitting up a little. "Looking for these?"

"Yeah, baby!" He licked his lips in anticipation, throwing himself on his own bed and eagerly crawling to her. He slammed his mouth against hers and forced his tongue to enter her.

"WHAT THE FUCK!? GET OFF OF ME!" She managed to say, once she dropped his axes to push him away, quickly recovering them.

"Hey, c'mon babe, you want it."

"Why do you always perceive everything as being hit on?" She stared at him with a deadpan look.

"Who wouldn't want to hit on Draven?" He chuckled, his face still too close to hers. She could feel his warm breath on her skin and it made her shudder. "I am glorious, as you know."

"Enough." She pushed him away, before she snarled, her gaze turning unforgivable. "You're gonna pay for what you've done"

"What? For stealing a kiss?" The man smirked, shoving her against the bedframe with as much force as he could muster. A sly tongue slithered out of his mouth and licked his own lips, as if he were enjoying the rare view of a defenceless Sinister Blade. "Now I really know you're hitting on me. Didn't know you were into this, though."

"No, you idiot. You raped Lux." Kat muttered, her bangs covering part of her face as she forced the defiant look to not falter from her features.

"Pffft!" A rough snicker escaped his mouth as he rolled his eyes. "Bitch, what are you sayin'?"

"I know you did!" She raised her voice, only to be shoved harder against the bedframe, the back of her head hitting against something hard.

A strong hand grabbed her lower face with force, his thumb and fingers pressing her cheeks as he rolled her head over while he looked at her with disgust, his tongue clicking, voicing his discontent.

"Says who?" His low voice pierced her ears as he spoke loudly. "You're wrong, Kat. I didn't rape Lux. Didn't even get the chance to fuck her stupid. Darius fucking stopped it and I'll be damned if he'd ever let me touch her again."

He released her as he moved away, letting her body go limp against his bed. She stopped her fall as she landed on her hands. She raised her head to look at him and he noted the red marks he'd left on her cheeks, pleased with himself.

"You gonna believe rumours or some shit over what I say?" He questioned, crossing his arms over his chest, an eyebrow raising slowly as his eyes bore into hers.

"I can tell you're not lying."

"And it's not like I want anything to do with blonde bimbos." Draven relaxed his posture, comfortably throwing himself on his own bed and stretching lazily.

"You did want her once, though." She noted, distracted. She didn't care about small talk, she was focused on figuring out what was going on. Something smelt really rotten but she couldn't quite determine what it was.

"A fuck's a fuck. She seemed available." He shrugged his shoulders and looked at her, a smirk appearing on his face as a playful hand wandered to her waist. "Talking about fucks…"

"Don't you fucking dare." She shoved him away and got off the bed.

His gaze fell on his forgotten axes and he quickly recovered them, kissing each blade carefully, as if they'd been gone for ages and were his beloved children or something.

"Thanks for these." He snickered, propping his body up slightly, adjusting his position to be more comfortable. "Anyway, why're you here for?"

"I thought you were Ethanial's father." She huffed, sitting on the edge of the bed and crossing her legs.

A burst of laughter erupted from Draven.

"What on Runeterra ever made you think that?" He wheezed as the cackles slowly died down.

"I had my reasons." Was all she said, her brow creased, annoyed at the fact that the man's teasing had got to her. "Shut up."

But then, it finally dawned on Katarina. The reason why it all seemed weird. She'd remembered Darius's words from the previous day, realising she'd just got played. Why would a man like _him_ sell out his brother so easily if not for his own motives? She balled her fists tightly, furious that she hadn't noticed earlier. He'd steered her away from the truth. He gave the kid private teaching lessons. He…

"Draven." She whispered slowly, frowning slightly. "What did you say again about bedding Lux?"

"This again? Look, trust me, I'm not that kid's father…" He started but she interrupted him.

"Just tell me!"

"Sheesh! What do you want me to say? That I _tried_? That Darius stopped me?"

"Yes. Darius." The confirmation she needed. She had to hear his name said out loud for it all to plop into place in her head. Everything else fitted perfectly. Noxian, strong, dark haired… it couldn't be any other man.

"What of him?"

"Nothing! Well, won't you look at the time?" She answered, running to the door and opening it quickly, getting out of his room.

"Wait, wait! Where are you going?" He called out, chasing after her.

"Canteen. It's lunch time, right?" She smirked, turning round to look at the man briefly, the look on her face showing how completely focused she was on her next task. Darius was going to pay for playing her.

"Hey, wait! I know that look, you're planning something. I'm going with you!" He shouted, rushing after her.

They made their way to the canteen and she grinned before opening the door and walking swiftly inside, followed by a curious and eager Draven.

* * *

Ethanial sighed, his head in his hands. He was currently sitting on his bed, feeling sorry for himself. He sometimes glanced up and looked at the amulet hanging on the wall. The one he'd been given on the day he was born and he was prohibited to touch. Somehow, looking at it made him feel worse and better at the same time. It filled him with dread, but it also made him feel hope. It was undeniably beautiful and there was something about it… that attracted him to it. He wanted so desperately to wrap his fingers around it.

He'd been feeling like this for the past few days, since the moment that **_thought_** had crossed his mind. A shiver run down his spine as he remembered what it was that was making him feel like this.

With one last glance at the amulet, he gathered enough courage to get up from the bed. He sighed and stretched lazily, trying to ease his numb body. How much time had he spent in that uncomfortable position, just moping? He wasn't even sure of that. He needed to find out the truth. Hopefully it was just a crazy idea he'd had, and nothing more.

Frowning, he made his way to the training room, ready to face the facts, or, better still, to sigh in relief as he realised he'd been wrong all along.

The boy walked in with his usual swift stride, pausing only to stare at Darius before his brow creased and the older man met his gaze, confusion clear in his features. Before the older one could speak, the other was only a foot away from him and waving his hands in exasperation.

"You're my father." He finally said. They stared at each other for what seemed like a million years before the Noxian sighed and caressed a tender spot in his neck before lifting his gaze and facing the younger.

"Yes." He nearly muttered, trying to shake off the feeling that had started in the very pit of his stomach and was working its way up. His eyebrows twitched slightly, as he watched his son's reaction.

They stood there, perfectly still, both with their eyes set on each other before Darius decided to ask the lingering yet obvious question.

"How'd you find out?" He asked, gingerly lifting an eyebrow, noticing how the boy licked his lips and straightened his back slightly. The General came to the conclusion that Lux had accidentally let it slip out, but the way Ethanial was looking at him made him doubt it.

The boy stared into the deep green eyes of who he could now call his father and hesitated briefly before answering him.

"I don't think we look much alike. I mean, maybe there's a certain something that you have that I possess too, but what really made me realise was this." He gestured frantically with his hands, forcing Darius to search whatever it was the boy meant. When the younger noticed his father wasn't understanding him, he sighed and sat down on the bench.

"I mean, at first, I didn't notice. But then it dawned on me. Why would a Noxian help out the son of a Demacian-born? Why give me special classes? I mulled it over for a bit and came out with a few possibilities."

The General nodded, as if giving the other permission to continue with his speech.

"One. That you owed my mother a favour. But that didn't make sense. How would you owe her anything, and even if you did, why would the way of paying the debt off be classes to her first son, when there are many other people that could train me? A Noxian training a Demacian, there must be some scandal caused by that anyway. Two. It was never anything you or my mother said, but the way I saw you looking at each other…"

Ethanial trailed off, his gaze going onto the floor before he continued to speak.

"And Lux has, from time to time, tried to teach me some of Noxus' history, which, I've got to admit, caught me a bit off guard. To sum it up, I added two and two together, I just didn't think you would admit it so quickly."

The boy's eyes were on the ground again, so Darius lifted his head up a bit roughly, grabbing him by the chin and staring into the blue he knew so well.

"You had a right to know. That's my opinion. So yeah, there you have it. I am your father, and I'm proud that I am. I'm proud of you."

He let go of his grip, leaving a slight mark on the boy's chin, which he rubbed absentmindedly.

There was more silence, while they both inspected each other.

"Do you love her?" He asked, maybe catching Darius off guard, but he didn't show it if it did.

"Yes." He answered automatically, but truthfully. "Yet you understand we can't be together and raise a child, right?"

"You take me for a fool." The boy sounded older for a second, and more mature. "I thought I'd proven myself with this discovery."

"I'm not taking you for anything. Just making sure you understand the reasons we did what we did."

Ethanial got up and began stretching, lazily dragging his now heavier upper body, making it perform the same warm up activities it had been accustomed to do, but his father didn't follow him, he just watched him do it.

"Does she love you back?" When he got no answer, Ethanial simply shrug and turned around, a wide smirk spread on his face. "Yeah, I never understood the thing with Ezreal either. What do you think they are?"

"A couple." Darius answered, grabbing his axe and swinging it expertly, watching closely as the boy faced him, still with a slight glimmer in his eyes.

"And you're ok with that?"

"Yes."

There was a slight pause before the boy picked up his sword.

"I don't get you. Why?"

"I could never be with Lux. Not in the way I want at least. So why not let someone who can, have her?"

Ethanial shrugged before continuing to speak. "I've seen the way she looks at Ezreal and it's not even close to the way she looks at you."

"People want what they can't have. It would be the other way round if she couldn't have him."

"You're stupid." The boy huffed finally. His eyes were narrowed and his brow was furrowed as he spat those words out, as if they were the vilest thing ever.

"Excuse me!?" Darius raised his voice slightly, gripping his axe tighter in his hands.

"You heard me. You and Lux. You're stupid."

"We are, now, huh?" The Noxian relaxed, a gentle grin forming in the corner of his mouth as he joked.

"You should fight for your love."

"You are definitely your mother's son."

Ethanial's brow creased some more and he looked defiantly at his father.

"I'm your son, too!" He answered, the sword in his hand now more present all of a sudden.

"Well then, prove it to me. Stop saying stupid things and fight me. Do your training."

There was a moment of silence before the boy breathed in a heavy sigh. The younger licked his lips, his eyes burning with a defiant fire in them.

"You know what." He whispered, arrogantly straightening his back and looking deeply into Darius' face. "I don't care what you think. You don't deserve my mother."

"As if you could decide who does or who doesn't deserve Lux." The General spat, his eyes narrowing, threatening. "The only one who can is her. So, shut up and fight me."

The boy looked at him in disgust, before staring at his sword for a good twenty seconds.

"No. I won't shut up." And with that, he threw his weapon to the floor and stormed off out of the training room, muttering curses to himself.

The Noxian sighed, dragging a hand over his face, annoyed. A mild sense of dread and discomfort had arisen in him, but he tried to push it away by putting his axe and the other's sword away. He calmly took his armour off and walked out of the training room, the nagging feeling of something bad about to happen still making his brain go dizzy.

* * *

He'd made his decision. He ran his shacking hands through his hair and swallowed hard. Ethanial made his way to the canteen, ready for the performance of a life time. It was midday, and a small growl erupted from his stomach. When he opened the doors, he was greeted by champions, who smiled at him warmly. They'd known him ever since he was a baby, but he was convinced they didn't really know him.

His whole fucking life had been a lie.

Someone patted his back, Ekko tried to fist bump him and Jinx pushed past him as she was running in the opposite direction. Nothing mattered. Ethanial was spaced out, unsure if what he was about to do was the right thing or not.

It didn't fucking matter.

'You have a right to know.' Darius' words echoed in his head.

'They have a right to know.' He thought, clenching his teeth and finally deciding it was for the best.

"Hey, you okay?" Ekko whispered, trying to grab his arm but Ethanial shook him away, ready to do what had to be done.

The boy walked to the closest table he could find and jumped onto it, forcing plates and glasses out of his way.

"Hey, watch it, you shitty-!" Someone said, but the younger one shut him up when he used all of his magical ability to throw a spark of light into the air, forcing everyone's attention on him.

"Listen up!" He panted, exhausted by that little outburst of magic. His capabilities were limited, he knew. Maybe it was the serious look he had on his face or maybe it was his little performance but suddenly everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him. "I am not who you think I am."

"Is he coming out as gay or something?" Jayce joked in a whisper, not that interested in what the boy was about to say. Caitlyn, who was sitting next to him, elbowed him and the man rolled his eyes. "Sorry, sorry."

"You all think you know me." The boy began, turning around himself to make sure everyone's eyes were on him. "You've seen me grow up, change, mature. You all know me as the son of Ezreal and Lux, but I'm about to reveal the ugly truth."

He met with piercing eyes as he searched their faces. He found looks of interest, others of boredom and some of amusement. He was about to open his mouth when the doors of the canteen swung open and Katarina entered, followed by Draven. The Noxian woman and the boy stared at each other, her eyes piercing his face, trying to figure out what was going on. Everyone was now focused on the new scene, wandering why they were both silent now.

"Ethanial…" Kat muttered, taking a few steps closer, annoyed he was about to steal her spotlight. She would not let this happen. She had worked so hard to find out the truth and now she was about to have her moment taken away from her right under her eyes. "Don't you dare!" She snarled at him, taking a few steps forward as she quickly took out one of her daggers.

Before either of them could react, they heard a familiar voice croak out his name.

"Ethanial?" Lux's face was pale. She was holding a platter in both hands, which were now shaking visibly. "What is going on?" She'd just appeared from getting her food in line and hadn't heard anything of what he had previously said.

"Mother." He muttered, turning around and looking at her, his face showing how troubled he was feeling. "I know."

"You know?" She questioned, her eyebrows raised. "You know what?"

"Darius is my father." He quickly blurted out, only to regret it immediately when he saw his mother's reaction.

The platter was the first thing to hit the floor. The crashing sound resonated more than his words as food was scattered all over the place. The next thing to fall was the limp body of a blonde light mage.

Ethanial watched as champions went to aid his fainted mother and he was about to go after her when he felt a dagger at his throat.

"And I thought you were good." She hissed, pressing it slightly against his neck. She was so absurdly and uncontrollably angry she didn't recognise herself. On the verge of killing a child over a silly thing like uncovering the truth?

The commotion had already started. There was an uproar in the canteen and the boy's head started spinning as he felt her hands on his shoulder and her weapon about to slit his throat. But somehow, his eyes were wide and watching closely as Lux was hoisted up by Graves while Sona was trying to wake her up. The utter horror he felt was only intensified when he saw Garen push his way towards her and started shaking her while he screamed at her.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?" He shouted, tears in his eyes as he looked at his unresponsive sister. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO DEMACIA? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO YOUR FAMILY? TO YOUR OWN _BROTHER_?"

The dagger pressed harder against his throat, the pain finally forcing him to focus on Katarina's shacking hand holding the weapon and spitting in anger behind him. Two hands enveloped his body and the pressure against his neck was gone as he was grabbed by Leona and lowered onto the floor. His heart was beating fast in his chest as he looked at the furious Sinister Blade as she was forced kicking and snarling by a very patient Braum, stroking her head and whispering for her to calm down.

"Have you any idea what I had to do to figure it out, you little brat!?" She glared at him, her gaze boring into his.

Meanwhile, Darius got up, shoving his plate away. He got intercepted by Swain, who gently hit him with his cane on his arm as the General was about to leave.

"Is this true, General?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

He grunted a response and tried to get through, but LeBlanc appeared out of nowhere, a dark smile on her lips as she leaned against him.

"You really did get that bitch pregnant!" She laughed, a hand covering her mouth as she did.

"Don't call her a bitch!" Darius tried shoving her aside but she disappeared and reappeared on his other side, a smirk still prominent on her face.

"You're only defending her because she gave you that rut." She laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "But that explains why you were… unavailable…"

"YO! Darius!" Draven had made his way to his brother, a frown on his features. "This is the reason why condoms exist, you know? Fucking use them! We don't want to get the enemy pregnant. Except maybe if it's a tactical plan you haven't told us, then it's brilliant!"

The General finally pushed past them, not wanting to respond to anything, just in case he made the situation worse. Except he couldn't come up with a worse scenario than the chaos that had just been caused by his irrational son.

'And to think I thought he was smart…' He growled to himself, pushing past champions as he fought to get to Lux. Ethanial was carried away as he passed him.

LeBlanc chuckled as she stared at Darius make his way past the crowd.

"You know, it's one thing that he got her pregnant, but it's even worse that he loves her."

"Oh, please, don't be daft. He doesn't love her. C'mon, it's Darius we're talking about." Swain commented, leaning on his cane.

"You're getting old for matters of the heart." The dark mage snickered. "Or you're very blind. You choose."

"Wait a second… I'm an uncle!" It finally dawned on Draven, who smacked his forehead with his hand. "I owe the little kid like… a billion presents…"

"It will be even funnier when they remember the other child." LeBlanc muttered, turning away from the Executioner.

"How so?" Swain muttered, his face showing how troubled he was about the situation.

"That one's Ezreal's. How will the people take to that?" She smirked at him before disappearing.

Lux was dragged off to the hospital, seeing as she was still unconscious. Darius groaned, watching as she was taken away.

Ezreal had been staring at the scene from the distance, still sitting at the table, a fork in his hand. He hadn't realised what the boy had been about to do, so he hadn't had enough time to react. But when he heard those words, and after Lux's reaction, he knew what it meant. He got up quickly, huffed, and, not knowing what to do, exited the canteen. He knew if he didn't move, he'd be interrogated or harassed or whatever, and that's the last thing he wanted.

Outside, the explorer started running. He didn't know where to, but his feet started moving, taking him away. Tears sprung to his eyes and his hands started shaking as they tried to wipe the droplets away. What had first started as soft sobbing soon intensified and he was forced to come to a stop, his body trembling. He knew he had to do something.

Leona let Ethanial go, who started panting and quickly raised his hands to his neck. Luckily Katarina hadn't drawn blood and he sighed before remembering the mess he'd caused. He shouldn't have opened his mouth.

Looking around him in dread, he tried to figure out his next move. He bit his lower lip nervously and shoved his way past the people that were trying to get him to answer their questions. When he was finally outside, he felt like a huge weight had been removed from his shoulders, but champions started spilling out, wanting to know as much as they could. Frightened, the boy blinded a curious Cassiopeia before running towards his house. His room. He needed to get to his safe spot. He needed…

Panting, he nearly collapsed against the closed door of his room. His head hit the wood and his chest was still heaving when he growled in frustration.

Why!? Why had he even _thought_ that telling the world that Darius was his father would be a good idea!? Why hadn't he thought it through? Why hadn't he thought of the consequences? Why was he so _stupid_?

A strangled scream escaped his lips as he threw himself against the bed and started punching and kicking it until tears started falling down his cheeks.

He wasn't just angry at himself. At his own stupid actions. No, his chest was bubbling with all sorts of emotions. Hatred, rage, betrayal, resentment… He couldn't even name most of what he was feeling.

Images of his past flooded his brain, forcing out even more tears. His only option was to force his face into his pillow, which also helped with the quite difficult task of quieting his shrieking voice.

He thought of Lux, of how he'd always trusted her and let her guide him and teach him. He thought of Ezreal, and how he'd been there for him, played the father figure, listened to him and… embarrassed, Ethanial's face flushed when he remembered the day he'd asked him some pretty weird teenage questions. Because he thought he was his dad and he thought he could trust him.

But then, he heard a noise. He lifted his head and got up from the bed, shaking hands trying to dry the tears as his gaze fell on the amulet, the golden glimmer catching his eye. Without thinking about it, Ethanial rushed to it as if it had ordered him to, and raised his shaking hands to grab it. As soon as his fingers gingerly touched it, a bolt of electricity raised up his spine and an alarm went off in his brain.

'Hello Ethanial.' A voice called, and he wasn't sure where it was coming from. He was tempted to let go of the amulet, but it felt so good in his hands. Warm and comforting. Just like what he needed right now. 'So you've finally discovered the truth. I am here to guide you.'

"What?" the boy whispered, his head moving from side to side, trying to localize where the voice was coming from, although by now he was pretty sure it was coming from the amulet he held tightly in his hands.

'You are confused, yes?' the voice said, and Ethanial gently nodded, not sure if it mattered if he answered anyway. 'I will solve all your problems.'

"How?" He asked, unsure. The warmth from his hands was starting to spread all over his body. His breathing intensified and his eyes closed, a light grin appearing on his face.

'You are scared, as well. You are angry, sad, torn. I will help you. Put me on.'

The boy raised his hands and took a better look at the amulet. He sighed but clumsily dragged the gold chain over his neck and let it fall against his chest. As soon as it hit his skin and secured itself in place, Ethanial's world went dark. His breathing got caught in his throat and he was forced to his knees, as everything started to shake around him.

'Relax. It will all be over soon.' The voice said.

The boy managed to start breathing again, but he shut his eyes closed and clenched his teeth, the dizziness not going away. When everything stopped spinning he raised his head and had a look around him.

He was in a place he'd never been before and couldn't recognise. He slowly got up, and headed towards a figure hiding in the dark.

"Good boy." The voice whispered, a hand reaching out to ruffle Ethanial's hair. His apprehension left his body as he melted into the caress, his own fingers gently touching the amulet, the feeling soothing his soul.

* * *

Lux finally awoke in a hospital room a few minutes after she'd been taken in. She got up immediately, still shaken, but was forced to lay down again by a very calm Soraka. Sona was the other person in the room with her.

"Calm down, light mage, please." The goat woman pleaded, patting her head soothingly.

"What… What's going to happen?" Lux cried out, tears forming in her eyes as she looked at the two women.

"Nothing good, I'm afraid." Soraka answered, patting her hand and looking into her eyes with concern. "How are you feeling?"

"How do you think? I need to get away from here! Where's Ethanial?"

"I'm not sure. He ran away shortly after you fainted."

"Ethanial…" Lux sighed, silent tears now flowing steadily.

"I SAID LET ME IN!"

"I can't do that! I've been ordered to not let anyone in until she's feeling better." Janna was trying to reason with the screaming voice.

"I HEARD HER TALKING, I'M GOING IN." Seconds later the door was broken down and Garen ran towards his sister, despair written on his features.

"Hello brother." It came out bitterer than she'd intended, but she knew what was coming next.

"HOW DARE YOU." He screamed, shoving past Soraka to look at Lux in the eyes. He was tempted to grab her by the wrists, but was scared he might break her. "HOW DARE YOU FUCK DARIUS?"

"How stupid do you think I am, brother?" She snorted, laughing bitterly in his face. "YOU fuck Katarina. And, here's the difference: everyone fucking knows."

"YOU BORE HIM A SON, LUXANNA. DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?"

She stared at him in anger and quickly raised a hand to slap his face.

"STOP treating me like a child. I am not a baby. I am not stupid!" She shouted at him, her face red.

"After what you've done, I actually highly doubt every word you've just said." He commented, his voice much lower than before, showing a much calmer Garen. His own hand raised to where he'd been slapped and he leaned towards her. "You've dishonoured the Crownguard family. To heck with that, you've dishonoured the whole of Demacia."

"You HYPOCRITE!" The tears returned to her eyes again and her voice started shaking. "How dare you say that when YOU have been toying around with that Noxian tart? How dare YOU act like this?"

"I'm not the one that's acted like a whore." Garen spat, shoving himself apart from Lux and looking at her in disgust.

"The only difference in the way we've acted is the fact that you're a man. So it's not frowned at for you. You're actually praised for fucking Kat." Lux cried, smashing her fists against the bed. "But it's always been like that. I have to be a lady while you can fuck around like a _man_."

For a moment, Garen was silent. He watched as his sister bawled her eyes out and pity filled his chest.

"And it will always be like that. Just because I'm a woman."

"A woman with a big problem. That little mongrel will cause a war."

"How can you say that? He's your _family_! You _love_ him!" Lux whined.

"Used to. Now I'm not so sure. He's tainted."

"What changed? The fact that you knew?" She snorted, looking at him in disgust. "I'm discovering some very horrible things about you, Garen."

"And I too, sister." The pity he'd felt in his chest soon turned into disgust again. "Do you love him?"

"What? Of course I do! He is my SON."

"Not Ethanial. Darius. The fucking cheating traitor."

She was left speechless as he adjusted his posture and crossed his arms. When she didn't respond, he sighed in defeat, knowing what that meant.

"I see."

"Garen, I think you should leave. All you've done is say harsh words. Your sister needed you and this is what you did to her." Soraka said, caressing Lux's head.

"No, she did this to herself. But yes, I will leave." He slowly turned around and started walking away. "Luxanna… just wait until Mum and Dad get the news."

"Goodbye brother."

The light mage frowned as she saw him leave the room, closing the broken door behind him, as best as he could.

* * *

Ezreal barged in, clearly unhappy about something. He noticed the broken door and asked himself who'd made that mess, Darius or Garen. Deciding he didn't care, he walked over to where Lux was and looked into her blue eyes. The eyes he was sure he knew better than his own palm. The woman he thought he knew better than anyone. The woman he'd shared sixteen years of his life with. Sure, he still looked young, but now he felt betrayed. Looking at her face made him ponder if he actually still loved her.

'Of course you do, you fool.' He told himself. 'Because you really couldn't be any more stupid.'

"So" He begun, discarding the thoughts trying to make their way into his mind. He felt relieved that they were alone in the room, for he was about to say some very questionable things. "Did Darius rape you, Lux?"

She sighed. She knew this was coming. She deserved it, though. She knew all of this had to happen, she just didn't want it to happen.

"Or maybe, you know, MAYBE" Suddenly his voice was tainted with bitterness, and for a second she thought she saw a much older Ezreal looking right back at her. "Maybe it wasn't rape, yeah? Maybe you actually wanted to fuck him?"

Lux swallowed. With Garen, she could retort him anything, throw all his shit back at him, but to Ezreal? He'd been with her always, for everything. She did feel very cruel about the way she'd treated him.

"I don't know, Lux!" He screamed, his tone now showing all of his despair. "I don't know what to feel. Do you love him? Do you think HE DOES? You know, maybe it was rape, and maybe it was one time and maybe you just lied because you couldn't live with the truth, but I'm having a hard time believing that now. So you fucked him."

He made a weird sound, a mixture between a laugh that had got caught in his throat and a sob. He turned around, sighing. He wasn't expecting an answer from her, he wanted to keep talking, to get those bubbling thoughts off of his mind.

"You fucked him. Was it once? Twice? Or maybe he was more than just a fuck. Maybe you fucking love him." He scoffed, and then he laughed dryly. All the time, he watched her. He watched as she flinched with every word he said, but right now, her feelings didn't matter to him. "And that's when I ask myself, what am I to you?"

And again, she kept quiet, just biting her lip and staring into his eyes. She saw them sparkle in anger and what looked like disappointment.

"WHAT AM I TO YOU, LUX? Am I just a loser you fooled into being with you to take care of your bastard child? Am I just the guy you fuck when he can't be bothered to have sex with you? WHAT AM I TO YOU? Or do you even care? How stupid do you think I am? Well, fuck me, I must be really retarded because you fucking tricked me and toyed around with me FOR YEARS. You know what, Lux? I would have followed you to the end of the world and back. That's how much I loved you. And you fucking pissed on my love."

Silent tears were now falling down her face but he continued speaking, his voice slowly getting higher.

"To Hell with that, you laughed in my face and you used me. I just can't believe it."

Ezreal had never been a violent person. Sure, he fought in the League but it wasn't in his nature. Yet, out of anger, he punched the wall with all the strength he could master. It hurt so much he nearly saw stars, but instead of shouting, a light moan escaped his lips. He squeezed his eyes shut as his fist started throbbing and when he looked down at it, he noticed it was bleeding.

It wasn't just anger he was feeling. It was hurt. So much of it. And to top it off, the person he loved, the person he thought loved him back was just staring at him in silence.

"And here comes another question." His voice was shaking now, and he couldn't tell if it was the pain in his hand, the tears begging to be released or the anger that was shaking his whole being but he managed to choke out those last words. "Is Candella mine or is she also Darius'?

"She… she's yours." She sobbed, her eyes surely red. So many tears were coming out she couldn't see, her vision was all blurry. She didn't want to see, anyway. Her companion, the man she thought was her lover was in a rage because of her. Of course she felt wretched.

"And how would I know if that's true?" Again, bitterness tainted his words, but the anger and resentment were still there. "How can I fucking know if you're not lying to me again, Lux?"

"It's… it's not a lie." She whispered in between hiccups.

He hurried over to her bed and placed both his hands on each side of her pillow, staining it with his blood. He stood inches away from her face, trying to find the lie in her eyes. All he could see was pain.

"Then what is, Lux?" He spoke this time, not wanting to scare her into not answering. "Is your love for him a lie? Maybe it's your love for me?"

"I… I love you both!" She sobbed and he snorted at her.

"Cut the act." He grunted, pushing away from her. He still looked at her, disgust plainly written on his features. "And here's another question. How do you think I feel? Do you even CARE?"

"Of course I care, Ezreal. I love you" She said, forcing herself to not cry through the sentence.

"I can't take you seriously. I can't believe you. I can't do it. How would you be, in my position? You figure out the mother of your daughter has been fucking around with this man… and not just any man. A fucking Noxian. You know how much I hate those guys."

"Darius isn't who you think he is. He's got a lovely heart."

"My guess is he's just got a huge cock." Ezreal spat at her, but he'd calmed down slightly. Her words... he still believed her. He still thought she loved him.

* * *

"Lux?" Darius voice sounded rough as he knocked on the door.

"Come in." She called from the inside, but the Noxian heard a whine which he assumed came from Ezreal. He entered and wasn't surprised to see the explorer pacing up and down the room, his hand bloody, his hair ruffled.

"Bad day?" The General joked, a smirk spreading on his features. He wasn't sure what had triggered his comment, maybe it was the actual fact that it had been the shittiest day he'd had in probably twenty years, or maybe it was due to a certain rivalry feeling he wasn't sure he should feel or not.

" _Bad day_!?" Ezreal shouted at him, walking straight up to him, to stare deep into his eyes. The teenager looked slightly deranged as he screamed "GO FUCK YOURSELF."

"I would answer with the obvious" Darius started, nodding his head in Lux's direction, maybe to provoke the younger some more. "But I've something important to say."

"What are you waiting for, then?" The girl raised her voice, a horrid feeling creeping up her chest.

"Ethanial has disappeared."

"I might not be invited to this party." A woman appeared in the room, her body leaning on the door frame, an amused spark tainting her otherwise monotone voice. "But I have some information I believe you will much appreciate."

"LeBlanc!" Ezreal muttered, bearing his teeth. The day just kept getting better and better.

"The boy's in Noxus."


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the long wait. Hopefully updates will come more frequently. Thank you for reading.**

 **I was going to post a long rant about Ezreal but changed my mind in the last minute – probably for the best.**

 **Anyway, thanks for sticking by.**

* * *

Chapter 7

'Where'd that kid go?' Darius grumbled to himself, strolling quickly through the Institute, opening every door he could find, searching frantically. He'd already been to his apartment and looked for him there, in his room, anywhere he could think of. The boy was nowhere to be seen.

He wasn't the only one searching for him. Draven and Katarina were too. As well as Demacians and other champions, but he hadn't dared speak to them.

"Can't find him." Talon's dull voice came from behind him and Darius turned to scowl at the man.

"Where have you looked?"

"Everywhere. I move fast, you know." The younger shrugged his shoulders, his expression almost bored. "So, he's your kid, huh?"

The General scowled at him and for a moment, he thought he saw the shadow of a smirk on Talon's face.

"None of your business." He grunted, his eyes narrowing.

"It is, actually, _grandpa_." The assassin sounded amused. "This whole commotion could possibly trigger a war."

"Unlikely." Darius growled, but deep inside, he knew it was a bluff that wouldn't get past Talon.

"I still can't get over the fact that he's your child. I'd never imagined any son of yours doing anything quite this stupid."

"He's young and inexperienced."

"Must be that dumb bitch's genes." The assassin smirked, his eyes shining. Seconds after muttering those words, a strong hand wrapped itself around his throat and he no longer felt the floor under his feet.

"Son of a-!" Darius muttered, but was interrupted by a very sharp blade pressed against his Adam's apple.

"If you wish to not end up with another pretty scar I'd advise you to put me back down." Talon whispered, a horrid grin still painted on his face. To back his point up further, he pressed his blade harder against the skin of the General.

After a moment of hesitation, he found himself back on the floor and clutching his throat.

"Damn, that hurts!" He coughed, trying to get rid of the sore sensation. He looked up at Darius's solemn face and chuckled. "Who would've known you'd develop feelings for a Demacian?"

"I wouldn't laugh so hard. Might hurt yourself." The older one growled, leaning in, trying to be menacing. "Plus your friend is in the same situation."

"You really think Kat's in love? Don't make me laugh." Talon spat, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know? She was right. You've really gone soft."

The only answer he got was a scowl from the General. The assassin sighed, but was mostly amused by their little conversation.

"Anyway, isn't it about time you reported the disappearance to his mother? She'd love to hear her precious boy has gone missing." He commented sarcastically, chuckling to himself as he slid into the shadows and abandoned the General.

Darius sighed, defeated, and started walking towards the medical ward. He was hoping Lux would be alone and that she wouldn't take the news too badly.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ he's in _Noxus_!?" Lux screamed, her face red.

"Do you want me to spell it out for you, light mage?" LeBlanc muttered, gritting her teeth in frustration.

"No, I want to know _why_ he's in Noxus." The Demacian whined, narrowing her eyes and gazing into the face of the other woman, suspicious.

"Look, I don't know all the details." The Deceiver said, exasperated. "You want to come and get him or what?"

Half a minute passed where Lux was silent, just glaring at the Noxian woman, trying to read her mind.

"Alright." She finally gave in, removing the thin blanket that covered her and placing her feet firmly on the floor. She wobbled when she got up, her legs weak from having passed out before. Darius hurried to her side to make sure she didn't fall, holding her by her waist. Ezreal whined at the sight, clearly unhappy that that man was touching her. He too walked up to her but before he could say anything, her eyes looked deeply into his.

"I'm going to save my child. You can do as you wish." The intensity with which her gaze bore into him made his heart skip a beat, much to his surprise.

"I-I'm coming too." He stammered, blushing.

She nodded her approval and turned to Darius.

"Get ready. Get your axe, armour, whatever it is you need."

"I'm already ready." He grunted, pleased with himself that he was always one step ahead. "Are you sure you can do this?"

She nodded without hesitation and looked at Ezreal.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes." He pointed at his gauntlet and shrugged his shoulders. "It's all I've got."

"Are you _done_?" LeBlanc whined, rolling her eyes.

"Yes."

"Alright. I'll start the teleporting spell. Hold on tight, it's going to be a rough ride!"

Ezreal grabbed Lux's hand and squeezed it, closing his eyes as his head started to spin. The light mage held on to both men as she felt Darius's grasp on her waist tighten. She felt woozy and fought against the rising nausea. When the dizzy feeling left all of them and they dared open their eyes, they found themselves in a dark room.

The General looked around, not sure if they were actually in Noxus. Maybe they'd been tricked by the Deceiver.

"We've arrived!" LeBlanc smiled at them, running a hand through her hair. "Told you it would be a rough ride."

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Ezreal whimpered, queasy, clutching his stomach as he bent over.

"Ah, just the three I wanted to see!" A voice greeted them. From the shadows, two figures came out. A sly grin was on Ethanial's face as he stared at the newcomers.

"Good to see you all got here." LeBlanc appeared behind him, smirking.

The visitors gaze's darted from one Deceiver to the other, unsure of how to react. The one that had accompanied them on their journey smiled, before vowing and disappearing.

"She was a _double_?" Ezreal rolled his eyes, exasperated. "Great. What's next?"

"I am!" Ethanial roared, taking the three visitors by surprise.

Darius tightened his grip on his axe and his eyes rested briefly on the amulet around his son's neck. He quickly looked at LeBlanc, who cocked her head and chuckled darkly. She nodded her head at him, as if answering his silent questions and gazed into his eyes, very much amused by the situation.

Ethanail raised his hand and directed it at them, shooting a beam of light, freezing them in their spot.

'What is this magic!?' Lux panicked. She knew her son very well and knew he had never been able to do such a thing. She looked into his eyes, pleading with him.

"Hello _mother_." He spat out, his eyes narrowing. "We have much to discuss."

'The amulet!' Darius screamed internally, as his mouth was unable to move due to the spell.

"And greetings to you two, as well, _fathers_. If I can call any of you that, that is."

Ezreal was trying his best to struggle and groan but it was all useless, he was totally paralysed. All he could do was watch and hope for everything to go well. There was a growing sense of despair in the pit of his stomach and there were no signs of it going away.

"HAVE YOU ANY IDEA HOW I FEEL RIGHT NOW?" Ethanial shouted, walking up to them. "Did you ever stop to think what you were doing to me? All you did was think of yourselves and I hate you for it!"

He paused, raising his hand again, shooting magic at them, finally releasing them from their invisible prison.

"Adults are disgusting. I don't care if their Noxian, Demacian or whatever. You're all the same."

Lux gasped for breath as she landed on the floor. She was up on her feet as quickly as she could and tried to run to him, but LeBlanc shot her a look.

"I will not let you get closer to him." She said, raising an eyebrow gently.

"Ethanial, it's not like that." The Light Mage cried, tears falling down her face. She felt exhausted and could feel the strains of the day on her body.

"Listen up, brat." Darius groaned, getting up and staring into the defiant eyes of his son. "Life isn't easy. Adults have to fucking chose sometimes. You can't always get what you want so fucking deal with it. As mature adults we did what was needed to do. If you don't understand this it's because you're still a stupid little boy."

Light shot out from Ethanial's hand, hitting the General square in the chest, forcing him to groan in pain.

"Yeah, anger him some more, that's the way to do it." Ezreal rolled his eyes and sighed, also tired.

"SHUT UP!" The boy started crying, his face red. "FIGHT ME!" He created a beautiful sword made out of light which he swung at a still dazed Darius. The Noxian was still able to dodge the blow, which narrowly missed him. Ethanial kept attacking him but the man noticed how it was different from when they trained. The younger was much more energetic, the pure rage and hatred fuelling his blows and Darius was tired and weary from the exhausting day. He wouldn't last much longer.

"Ethanial, control yourself!" Lux imprisoned him and was prepared to scold him like she normally would but LeBlanc was smirking by her side

"I don't think that's your fight, Light Mage." She grinned. "Want to stop him? Take me out first."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Ezreal's Essense Flux hit the Deceiver on her shoulder, and she turned around to see the teenager ready to shoot her another bolt of magic.

"You're still on her side?" LeBlanc chuckled. "Eh, I can take on both of you, easily."

With no warning, another mage appeared. They looked at each other and grinned.

Darius swung his axe and the boy was forced to dodge it, but the General shot his hand out and grabbed the amulet, pulling it towards him.

"Nggh, let goooo!" Ethanial moaned, trying to pull back.

"What's the meaning of this, LeBlanc?" The Noxian shouted, pulling at the amulet some more, the boy gasping with each thrust.

There were no longer two Deceivers as the woman appeared next to the boy, grinning even as she watched the younger struggle.

"Oh, wow, you caught me, this is all my doing." She laughed sarcastically, ruffling the teen's hair roughly. She then stopped grinning and stared at Darius, anger glimmering in her eyes.

"I knew from the very start." She started, caressing the boy's chin now. "So I gave him this as a gift, knowing that one day he'd be ready to know the truth."

"You're controlling him." Darius bared his teeth, leaning in closer. "How?"

"Well aren't you smart." She snickered. "It's too bad that you're _wrong_."

He'd been distracted, or that's the excuse he used when he found a sword pointing at his throat. He heard her laugh as Ethanial managed to pull free and the General had to be quick as he felt the pressure of the weapon on his neck.

"Now's your chance, Lux, blind her!" He screamed as his axe struck the light sword.

The Demacian shot her magic aiming it at LeBlanc, but she disappeared again, only to appear behind her and root her to place.

"I get what you see in Darius. Too bad you'll never leave this place alive." She whispered, before she got hit by Ezreal's bolts.

"You're annoying." She groaned, clearly in pain but a second LeBlanc started shooting her black magic at him.

"Ethanial, focus, listen to me!" Darius grunted, out of breath, exhausted from having to dodge the persistent blows that his son kept shooting at him. "Don't let her into your mind. You love your mother! You love Ezreal! Realize it, please. This isn't you!"

"Will you shut up, you old man?" The young teenager shouted and this time the General wasn't able to dodge anything and the sword opened a wound in his arm. He took a few steps back, wincing in pain as blood started to trail down. "Do you still not get it? She has nothing to do with this! These are my real emotions!"

Darius hit his back against the wall, noticing he was cornered. He watched as his son approached him, rage in his eyes. The General's eyebrows twitched as he saw light accumulating at the hands of the boy. Moving quickly, he darted to his right, trying to escape. He ran to Lux, swinging his axe at what turned out to be a LeBlanc clone that disappeared at the touch of his weapon.

"DON'T RUN AWAY, YOU COWARD!" Ethanial screamed, his face red as he chased after his father.

"Cover for me." The General whispered to his two allies. Ezreal obliged, quickly shooting his magic at the boy, who reflected them with his sword. The explorer gasped, watching as his powers bounced off easily.

"What…" He whispered, shocked. "How…? He was never this powerful…"

"LeBlanc!" Darius tried to swing his axe at the real dark mage but she rooted him to the ground, smirking as she disappeared before appearing right next to him.

"Have you figured it out yet?" She whispered in his ear, chuckling.

"Figured what out?" Was the response she got. He stopped his weapon mid-swing to secure the answer he needed.

"The amulet. You're fixated on it. Ever since I gave it to them. You worried for nothing. It wouldn't have worked."

"What are you talking about?"

"Its true powers were waiting for him to awaken."

"To awaken from what!?"

"Leave her alone, Darius, and fight _me_!" Ethanial screamed as he walked towards the rooted General. The boy was still reflecting Ezreal's powers. Lux just watched in horror at the scene.

"I'll let you two settle things." LeBlanc whispered, freeing Darius, who immediately hurried to Lux's side.

"Forget LeBlanc, we need to stop Ethanial." He muttered, looking at the wound in his arm.

"Yeah, but _how_?" Ezreal whined. "My magic does close to nothing to him. It's so frustrating."

"We must fight him together I guess. Give it all you've got." Darius groaned, charging quickly. His battle axe met the light sword with a familiar clinking sound. He used all his force against the boy, hoping it would be enough. Lux quickly darted to his side, blinding her son, as she couldn't bear to physically hurt him. Ezreal was bolder as he shot the kid right in his left shoulder.

Ethanial whimpered in pain as he was hit by the magic. He'd already been forced to shut his eyes and he couldn't fight off Darius anymore. He wobbled, suddenly letting go. The light sword disappeared and he feared he'd be torn in half by the axe, but he felt nothing.

"Lux, now!" The Noxian shouted, throwing his weapon back, his reflexes on point. It didn't take long for the blond woman to imprison her son, but she did it hesitantly.

"Oh, bravo, bravo!" LeBlanc said sarcastically, clapping her hands. She'd been watching intently, expecting this exact outcome.

"You'll pay for this!" Lux screamed, shooting her laser at the woman, who dodged it nicely.

The dark mage was by the boy's side, laughing. She appeared and disappeared so fast it was nearly impossible to track down. She wiped a tear from the boy's face, who was looking at her with a pained expression.

"What's up?" She smiled slyly. "You can do better, you know. Just look inside yourself. What is it you feel?"

"I… Anger." He answered, slowly.

Lux looked at her son, her mouth slightly open. Darius was panting as he watched the scene, apprehension clutching at his heart as his son broke down in front of him.

"Hurt." The boy continued, his head turning to gaze at his three parents. His features turned to a scowl as he looked at them. "I… cannot…"

"Yes, yes!" LeBlanc screamed in triumph, her laugh almost sounding crazy as she cackled, victorious. "Give us power, boy!"

"THEY USED ME!" Ethanial shouted as his fists clenched and his face reddened. "I was lied to, used and now, mocked. I HATE THEM. I HATE THEM, I HATE THEM, I HATE THEM!"

He roared in anger and pain, throwing his head back as he felt power like no other travel all over his body, enveloping him in warmth. His eyes shot open as he forced himself to look at them. He could feel it. Light was coming out of him, he was brimming with energy. It was so strong the prison his mother had created for him vanished as he touched it.

Darius gasped as he watched as the boy made his way towards him. The kid had a deranged look on his face, his eyes seemed blank and he was so bright it almost hurt to look. Lux dropped to her knees, feeling shock, pain and so many other emotions. She couldn't quite understand what was going on in her mind as her blue eyes followed the slow paces of her son.

"RUN!" The Noxian shouted, realising it was their only way to survive. He quickly grabbed Lux from the floor and forced her up. Tears were falling down her cheeks as she started to make her away from there. Darius turned to look at Ezreal, who was still engrossed with the glowing Ethanial and tugged on his arm to force a reaction out of him.

"Move!" He urged.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" LeBlanc cackled, raising her hands. As she did, a giant wall formed around the five of them, closing all exits and all chances of them getting out of there alive.

"We're trapped!" Lux sobbed. Her hands raised to cover her mouth.

"We're doomed…" Darius gasped, looking around frantically.

"Didn't you see?" Ezreal whispered, his mouth slightly open as he frowned, tracing his finger in the air unconsciously.

"What?" The General muttered, turning to look at the young explorer.

"Anger. When he gets angry, he gains power." The Piltovian whispered, a light smile striking his face as he came to the realisation.

"You're right! You are so right!" Darius cheered after having thought of it for a few seconds. "All we need to do…"

"Is make the anger disappear" Ezreal finished his sentence for him, nodding happily.

"But how are we going to do that…?" The Noxian trailed off, thinking. He turned around to look at Lux, but what he saw shocked him. She was walking towards the boy, trembling, clearly afraid.

Her steps were weak and his were determined. Ethanial raised his hand slowly, a sword appearing from his palm. Behind them, LeBlanc only cackled.

"I love you." The light mage whispered, tears in her eyes. The glowing figure in front of her suddenly stopped.

"Lux! Lux!" Darius screamed, running towards her. Ezreal followed him and placed a hand on her shoulder, but his eyes couldn't look away from the radiant boy with the amazing powers.

"I love you." She repeated. "I will always love you."

Ethanial cocked his head slowly. His armed hand started moving again and was about to strike Lux when two things happened. Darius quickly pushed the light mage away, forcing the woman to fall to the floor. The explorer shot a powerful blast at the sword, which was knocked away from the boy. It fell a few meters away and disappeared as it came into contact with the ground.

"Ethanial, please snap out of it." His mother whispered, getting up again and looking into the dead eyes of her son.

"Oh, how lovely it is to hear you plead like this." LeBlanc clapped her hands, happy. "It's pathetic."

"You're my son, my baby." Lux continued, ignoring the dark mage. "You're my light."

Hearing her say that triggered something inside of the boy. His raised hand slowly started to retreat.

"I forgive you." She muttered before she fell to her knees, exhausted. Tears were streaming down her face as she said those last words.

"How could've I been so _blind_?" Ethanial muttered, the light that emanated from him slowly dying down. His eyes fell on the three people in front of him and his features contorted to that of a frown, which alarmed Darius so much he got in front of Lux, to protect her.

The light sword made its appearance again and the boy picked it up eagerly. The General tightened his grip on his axe, on guard, but Ethanial did something that completely took him by surprise. The teenager raised the weapon, turned it around, and with one precise strike, pierced the amulet he was wearing.

LeBlanc screamed, clutching her heart in pain as the wall surrounding them shattered. The boy moaned, his world going black. He fought back the urge to close his eyes by blinking quickly but with a small gasp he lost consciousness, falling to the floor in a heap. Lux hurried to her son, picking him up gently and hugging him, whispering how much he loved him over and over again.

Darius sighed in relief, letting go of his axe, the sound it made as it fell to the floor echoing around them. He watched the scene in front of him, which filled him with a sense of calm and warmth.

"It's over." Ezreal sighed, defeated. He let himself fall and breathed in. A small giggle escaped his lips as he whispered "It's finally over."

The blond explorer started laughing, as he fought back tears, which he eventually let out. He trembled as he made his way to Lux and Ethanial and started stroking the boy's hair.

"You did it!" He laughed, overjoyed.

"No, the amulet! Get away from him!" LeBlanc screamed, grabbing Lux's arm and throwing her out of her way as she pushed the explorer to the side. She leaned down and looked at the unconscious boy. "The amulet… this is bad…"

"What!? What's going on!?" The Light Mage panicked, getting closer to the other woman.

"It's dark magic… I need to try and… Look, the boy, when he broke it in the way he did… this is bad."

"How so? Explain!" Ezreal frowned, trying to get a better look at the scene in front of him.

"The amulet has some dark magic he might have released when breaking it in the way he did. Move, I need to see if I can fix this."

Slowly, LeBlanc raised an open palm and let it hover over the broken amulet. A trail of black magic started to flow from her hand to the thing. Her face looked strained as she increased the power she let into it.

"It's… no use…"

"What's no use!? LeBlanc?" Lux grabbed the other woman's shoulders and started shaking her vigorously.

"I am so sorry…" The woman mouthed, tears brimming in her eyes. "This is all my fault…"

"Please tell me what is going on, you are killing me!" The Light Mage screamed, still shaking the other.

"I didn't make this amulet. I bought it off some strange merchant on one of my travels around Noxus. It's far more powerful than I had imagined and now it's… linked to your son."

"Linked?"

"Soul linked."

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, LEBLANC!?" Lux screamed.

"I… don't know."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?"

"I mean I'm not sure. It could mean your son's possessed. Or it could mean nothing! Or it could give him special powers… Dark magic manifests itself in many different ways, so I…"

The sound of a slap resonated through the room when Lux finally grasped what the other was getting to. LeBlanc flinched, raising her own palm to her cheek as an unconscious gesture.

"How dare you give this to my son." The Demacian muttered, her face red with anger. "You knew how dangerous that thing was and you… you exposed my son to it! I will not forgive you! I… I will fucking kill you, you fucking bitch!"

Lux trembled, an orb of light forming in the palm of her half-raised hand as she pointed it at the other.

"Calm down!" LeBlanc screeched, getting up and backing away from the boy. "Look, I already said I'm sorry, I…!"

"I will never forgive you, you…!" The orb became larger and seemed like it was about to burst with power when Ezreal grabbed Lux's wrist gently.

"Don't." He muttered, forcing her to look at him. "If you do this you will be stooping down to her level."

"But she… you heard what she's done! My son… he's!"

"He's what, Lux? We don't know yet! She said so herself, nothing might happen."

"That's right!" LeBlanc whispered, still backing away. "The side effects might not even appear! Or they could be what you already saw! You know, his magical powers."

"His magical powers?" The Light Mage frowned, the orb of light slowly getting smaller.

"The amulet helped bring out the power he has within him. All you saw today, that was all Ethanial, I had nothing to do with it. I just enchanted it so that it would teleport him to Noxus."

"I don't believe you." Lux sneered as her hand raised and she fired the orb of light, which the other barely dodged.

"Trust me, Light Mage. I didn't mean that boy any harm, I did this… because of…" She bit her lip before answering. "I was jealous. I wanted Darius."

"You what!?" Lux screamed, another orb making its presence on her palm.

"I said so before, didn't I? I knew from the start… so I planned to… take advantage of Ethanial's feelings to bring you all here and…"

"And, what?" Darius grunted, a frown on his face as he looked at her in disgust.

"I wanted to charm you. Ethanial would be emotionally unstable and I would've used him to get Lux out of the picture so… uhm, yeah."

"YOU PHYSCO!" Lux screamed as she started pelting the other with her light orbs. "FIRST YOU KIDNAP MY SON, YOU USE HIM FOR YOUR GAIN, YOU EXPOSE HIM TO DARK MAGIC AND ALL TO GET IT ON WITH MY LOVER!? I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Lux." Ezreal tugged at her wrist again, ignoring how her words had secretly hurt him. "Calm down. She didn't succeed."

The Noxian man hoisted himself up and put his arm on her shoulder. They looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

"Plus you know he only loves you." Ezreal forced himself to say, but he couldn't help but look away when he did. It somehow really pained him to tell her that, but he figured out she really needed to hear those words right now.

She finally sighed and fell to her knees, right next to her son. She looked at him and started sobbing, relief and exhaustion taking the best of her senses as she cried.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Talon sat on the desk, his legs crossed, his expression carefree. Soraka paced the room, clearly anxious as she waited for the Head of the League Tribunal to come to terms with what they'd just told him.

After his chat with Darius, the Blade's Shadow had toddled off to that room, to inform of the boy's disappearance. If someone was able to do something about it, that would probably be the Tribunal. Not long after, Soraka had appeared in this man's office and told them that she'd overheard Darius, LeBlanc, Lux and Ezreal's conversation. The healer insisted that they had gone to Noxus.

"I can't believe this." The man sighed, burying his face in his hands. "First, we find out he's Darius's son, which is just _great_ , then he goes and fucks off to Noxus."

"Yeah, it's been a Hell of a day." Talon chuckled, amused. Soraka shot him a look but he just shrugged in return.

"Call the Law Enforcers. I need them now."

* * *

It didn't take them long to appear.

"You got the perfect people for this job" Vi smirked, flexing her gauntlets after the situation had been explained to them.

"Something's really fishy." Caitlyn muttered, cocking her head slightly. "How did LeBlanc know they were in Noxus? Why would she help them out?"

"Dunno. But it's going to be a lot of fun finding out!" Her partner chuckled, balling her huge mechanised hands into fists and punching the air a few times. "Right, Cupcake?"

"Sure. Better get going, then."

"We've tracked down the location thanks to the residue magic left by the teleportation spell they used. We will be able to take you there whenever you're ready." A Tribunal member told them. "You will be teleported to a nearby place, please ensure that all is alright."

"We're on it!" Vi shouted, raising her closed fists and smirking.

* * *

"Here comes the Law!" A loud voice came from the other side of the door as it was quickly broken down by the person who'd spoken. Vi emerged from behind the smoke as Caitlyn shook her head in desperation. She facepalmed herself as they walked into the building, the pinkette smirking in triumph.

"Do you always have to make a scene?" She whispered, rolling her eyes.

"Aw, don't act like you don't like it, Cupcake." She grinned at her partner, before turning to have a better look at the scene in front of them.

"Okay, what happened here?" Caitlyn muttered, an eyebrow raised as she gazed at the unconscious boy on the floor.

"LeBlanc gave Ethanial this amulet and he went batshit crazy on us and they attacked us and-" Ezreal started speaking very fast, gesturing wildly as he did.

"Alright, alright!" LeBlanc raised her hands up and frowned at the police women. "I'll hand myself over."

"What? That quickly? It's no fun this way." Vi looked upset as she got her handcuffs out. "I really wanted to punch someone!"

Caitlyn shot her a look as she looked around the now half-destroyed room.

"LeBlanc, you are under arrest." The Enforcer forced the dark mage to turn around as she handcuffed her. "You have the right to remain silent and all that jabber."

"What's going to happen next?" Lux asked, hugging onto Ethanial's unconscious body.

"A trial probably. We're not in charge of that. We've just got to take you back. Aside from the boy, is anyone else injured?" Caitlyn muttered, gazing at each one of them intently.

"We're all fine." Darius muttered.

"Your arm is bleeding."

"Nothing a little bandage can't stop. It's not important."

"It looks like the boy needs medical attention." Caitlyn got a walkie-talkie out of her pocket and pressed a button. "Cait here. Mission accomplished. One injured, one captured. Arrange for a train to take us back. Cancel the teleportation."

"Who're you speaking to?" Ezreal inquired.

"None of your business."

"C'mon Caaaiiiit, we've known each other for yeeeaaars." The boy whined, chasing after her.

"Walk with me." Vi pushed LeBlanc forward as they left the building.

"General, take us to the station."

"Sure. Follow me." The man picked Ethanial up and Lux held her son's hand as they left the building. He took them around the streets in silence and at a steady pace.

Ezreal pretended to not notice the Light Mage being all chummy with the Noxian as he walked behind him, trying to get Caitlyn to speak to him.

Ethanial was still unconscious when they finally got to the station, but a train was waiting for them, as requested. They locked LeBlanc in a room and Darius placed the boy on a bed that had been prepared for him.

"That was fast." Caitlyn nodded absentmindedly. "They were efficient on the other side, good. It's going to be a long ride and by the looks of it, you haven't had a good day. You should rest."

"I'll be staying with Ethanial until he wakes up." Lux muttered, stroking her son's face lovingly.

"As you wish. We're off duty." Vi shrugged, turning around. "Hey, Cupcake, did you bring an extra pair of handcuffs?"

"Shut it." Caitlyn muttered, frowning at her partner.

"Whoops, did I say that too loudly?" The Enforcer grinned cheekily, before being shoved into an empty compartment by her seemingly miffed partner.

"Ugh." Ezreal moaned, throwing himself onto a chair. He sighed, letting his tired body relax in that comfortable position. "I'm exhausted."

"There are quite a lot of rooms. Take your pick and rest." Darius grunted, ridding himself off his armour. He inspected his wound before discarding the thought of treating it and walked to be beside Lux. "You should rest too."

"Can't. Need to make sure he's alright." She muttered, lovingly stroking Ethanial's face, a sweet smile on her lips as she did.

"He's alright." He muttered, kissing her forehead gently.

Silent tears fell down Lux's cheeks again. Her body was about to give in due to the exhaustion but she couldn't bear to part her son's side. She wanted to be there when he woke up.

"Get away from her!" Ezreal hissed, quickly getting up and trying to shove the General away from her, failing completely as he lacked the strength to do so.

"Ezreal…" She whispered, rubbing her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm not okay with these public demonstrations of affection." The boy started, annoyed and suddenly full of energy. "Actually, I'm not okay with… whatever you two are and I've been wanting to speak about it."

"Do you really think now's the time?" She moaned.

"If you gave a fuck about my feelings maybe you'd listen to me?" The blonde blurted out. He was so tired he wasn't sure what he was saying, but he had things he wanted to express and he felt like it was now or never. That he'd be forgotten by the next new 'thing' that happened. "I'm _not_ doing a threesome."

"Seriously? _That's_ what you decide to say?" Darius muttered, but his voice showed a slight note of amusement.

"No! I just can't think straight! Lux! I'm not okay with what you did to me. And I don't like it when he touches you."

The Light Mage sighed and looked deeply into his eyes. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, she couldn't read his troubled expression. But she could see his red eyes and how pale he looked, obviously drained by the fighting and the sleepless night.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this." She muttered.

"No, you gave me a choice and… Ethanial's my child." Ezreal deliberately looked at Darius. "I don't care about the fact that you're his father. Where were you during his childhood?"

"Ezreal…" Lux sighed, patting the explorer's arm gently. "Get some sleep. We'll talk this over when we're all rested."

He shrugged her off, disgust plain on his features.

"I can't deal with this now." He muttered, annoyed. He turned around before eyeing them one last time and headed to one of the rooms. Darius and Lux looked at each other before the man sighed and went after the explorer. He caught up to him and placed a hand on Ezreal's small shoulder.

"You fought well." The Noxian muttered, frowning as the younger pulled away, uncomfortable.

"Thanks." The other responded, embarrassed. "You too."

They stood there, staring at each other. The blond boy looked at the General defiantly, while the gaze he got in return simply looked concerned.

"It was an honour." He continued, but was cut off by the younger.

"Yeah, I get it." He groaned, rolling his eyes. "Don't try to be friendly with me. I am not your buddy."

Darius calmly looked at Ezreal up and down before sighing.

"Think of me as your enemy, your rival." The explorer continued, his brow furrowing and his tone more menacing. "Because Lux is mine and I will fight for her."

"Lux doesn't belong to you, in the same way that she doesn't belong to me. She is not a possession you can mark and have forever. She is free to be with whoever she wants."

Ezreal hissed in irritation, his fists clenching.

"You know what? Fine! I'm fine with all of this!" He nearly yelled, turning around and walking away briskly, then started muttering to himself. "I'll just face humiliation for the rest of my life but who fucking cares!?"

The General sighed, resting his body against the wall of the train and shaking his head in disbelief. He closed his eyes for a moment and fought away some bad feelings before returning to Lux's side.

"He's upset." Darius stated the obvious and she just nodded.

"I know. It's hard for him to understand that I love you both." The Light Mage rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, thankful that he'd taken his armour off.

"But…" He swallowed. "Do you really?"

"Yes." After a slight pause, she sighed. "But in different ways, I guess."

"Care to explain?"

"I love him. I'm in love with you."

Darius smiled unconsciously. He looked at her then, grabbed her head and leaned in to kiss her deeply. Their fingers searched for each other and interlocked warmly when they encountered. She smiled against his lips but he couldn't bear to let her go so he growled at her until she kissed him again. He answered by happily moaning, which made her heart skip a beat.

"I love you." She whispered when they finally parted and he hugged her tightly against his chest.

"I love you too." He answered, enjoying her warmth and smell.

"I'm worried about Ethanial."

"So am I." He started trailing kisses all over her head. "But I know everything will be okay."

"What's going to happen to us?" She whispered.

"I'm not going to leave you. I want to be with you this time. With him, too. I will fight for it if I have to. Our relationship is out in the open now anyway, so…"

"Darius." She spoke, staring deeply into his eyes. "I'm never letting you go. I'm sick of lying, of pretending. I will be with you."

She lurched forward and they found their lips again, crushing them together and passionately kissing each other. His hands reached up and cupped her face, a new flame igniting his soul as his tongue darted in her mouth, catching her off guard.

"What about Ezreal?" He huffed when they separated. He averted his gaze when he got slightly aroused looking at her flushed face and open mouth.

"What about him?" She asked, leaning forward, searching for his mouth again, but he pulled away from her, wanting to finish the conversation.

"Lux, he's in the picture too. And if you love him then you better pay attention to his feelings."

"I do! I just don't know what to do. I think he needs some time to think right now. He's really hurt and he should think about what he wants."

"What if he wants you?" He lifted her chin up and stared into her blue eyes.

She swallowed. "I want to give him that but…"

"But?" His eyebrow raised.

"Would you be okay with it?"

"You've been fucking him for years, Lux. The only one that wouldn't be ok with it is him. You'll need to talk."

"Alright." She sighed, getting up. "Watch over Ethanial for me, please."

"You really think now's a good time? You saw how he was before."

"I don't know what's going to happen when we get to the Institute. So, yeah, I'll at least give it a try."

He nodded absentmindedly and she left quickly, searching for the explorer. He found a closed door and when she pressed her ear against it, she heard muffled crying. She raised her hand hesitantly and was about to give up, a lump in her throat, when she sighed and closed her eyes tightly, preparing herself for what was about to come.

"Hey, Ezreal?" Lux knocked on his compartment door.

"It's open." Was his answer. She went in and found him sitting on the bed, his head in his hands.

"You okay?" She asked, walking towards him and putting a hand on his back.

"No."

"Do you want to talk?"

When he didn't answer, she sat on his bed and tried to hug him.

"I don't know how I feel, Lux." He threw himself at her, unable to control himself anymore. He had tears in his eyes. "I need you, Lux! You've no idea how I feel for you! But I feel so used and I don't know if I can live with that."

He started sobbing on her shoulder.

"This has been such a horrible day ugh I just want it all to be a dream." He kept saying. "I… I love you Lux!"

"I know, I love you too." She whispered, trying to smile at him but he just hid his head against her chest. She patted his back but he started sobbing loudly, his body trembling.

"But you love Darius and you always have and you always will and you love him more than me!" He blurted out, sniffling. "I'm not even sure you love me, I think it's just pity and you can't bring yourself to even admit it."

"No, no, I love you Ezreal!" She gasped, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him apart from her to look into his eyes. "My feelings are real!"

"Then why lie to me and use me!?" He started bawling again, trying to wipe his tears away but it was no use. He was drenched and his face and eyes were red. Lux winced, sorry to see him in this state.

"For Ethanial…" He muttered, then looked at her, seriously. "I'd rather die than feel these emotions."

"Don't say that!" She screamed, grabbing his wrists and forcing his head up.

"It's the truth! I'm sick of all of this. I thought you really felt the same as me, but I now know you don't. I'm just a second choice to you, aren't I?"

"No, Ezreal, that's not it…" She tried to say but he burst into tears again, the loud sobs quieting her.

"I was going to ask you to marry me, Lux! _That's_ what I feel!"

"You what?" She whispered, in shock. He took his chance and landed a quick kiss on her lips.

"I love you." He muttered, brushing her mouth with his and closing his eyes tightly. "I forgive you but I can't forget this. But I still love you. I still want to be with you, and it's not just for Candella."

"Ezreal…" She whimpered, but his mouth on hers silenced her. His hands started travelling under her clothes, searching frantically for her skin. She suddenly felt warm but it felt wrong at the same time.

"Fuck me, Lux." He moaned, kissing her lips again. He was sloppy with his actions, his mouth and hands too eager for their own good. He turned them around and forced her down on the bed, then laid on top of her.

She opened her eyes and saw the tears hadn't stopped trailing down his cheeks, even though she could feel him aroused. His tongue was still searching and his hands had found what they were looking for.

"Fuck me, please." He whined, forgetting her mouth and biting her neck harshly. "I need you so fucking much right now."

"Ezreal!" She groaned, trying to push him off of her. She succeed, managing to roll him off of herself, then she quickly fell off the bed.

"Why won't you have sex with me?"

"It's not the moment, Ez!"

"It's never the fucking moment!" He said, angry. His face was still flushed, and his cheeks were still wet. "It's because of me, right?"

"No!" She groaned in frustration. It was like they couldn't communicate at that right moment.

"You never want to fuck me. You always have an excuse. You always go to him."

"Ezreal!" She didn't even think about it, it came automatically, but she slapped him, silencing him once and for all. "My son is unconscious. Of course I don't feel like having sex. I'm not rejecting you, I've told you a millions times that I love you. I just don't want sex now."

"But you never do." He whispered, caressing the spot where she'd hit him. "Get out, I want to be alone."

"Ezreal…" She whispered, sorry for having slapped him. She tried to touch him but he moved away.

"Get out!" He barked before shoving his face into the pillow and sobbing loudly.

"Alright." She whispered, walking away. She opened the door and turned to look at him. "You need your time. When you're ready, I'll be there."

She got no response, so she sighed, her shoulders slumping. She closed the door behind her and walked away, her heart feeling tight in her chest.

* * *

Ethanial opened his eyes slowly, groaning as he got up. His head felt weird as he tried his best to figure out where he was.

"Ethanial? Ethanial! Oh, my baby! I'm so glad you're okay!" Lux shouted all of a sudden, taking him by surprise. She embraced him tightly and he patted her back gently, still dazed by the situation.

"Where…?" He asked, his voice thick.

"We're on a train, honey. We're going back to the Institute."

"Institute…? Oh, no…"

"What is it?" She asked, looking into his eyes.

"I fucked up, mom." He muttered, gazing down at his hands. He couldn't bear to look at her in the eyes.

"We all make mistakes, sweetie." She smiled kindly at him, stroking his hair and face lovingly.

"But what I did…"

"What's done is done. There's nothing we can do to stop it."

"What's going to happen next?" He squeaked, not wanting to admit he was scared.

"I'm not sure, honey. But I'm with you. I'm not angry or anything, you know that, right?"

"But you should be angry… After everything I did…"

"I'm not. I know it's hard. It's hard being a teenager and it's hard being you. You fought well, I'm so proud of you. You are my brave little miracle."

"I'm really sorry for everything!" Ethanial wrapped his arms around Lux's neck, embracing her as tears started to fall down his cheeks. She patted his back as she smiled into his neck.

"It's alright."

"What… happened to LeBlanc?"

"She's under arrest. How are you feeling?" She pulled away from him and raised a hand to his forehead. "Dizzy? Does anything hurt?"

"I'm fine, but…" He looked down at the amulet to find it incrusted into his skin. He shrieked a little, his hands raising to touch it gently. "What!?"

Lux started screaming as she saw it, too. She took a step back before calming herself down and leaning in to have a better look at it.

"Why's it…?" She started to ask, a hand reaching out to remove it from her son's skin. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the amulet, she felt fire. They both screamed as she pulled away abruptly. He'd felt the amulet dig in deeper into his skin, which had caused him to wince as a response. Her hand hurt like hell from coming into contact with it and when she looked at it, she found that she had a burn.

'Is this… is this the side effect LeBlanc was talking about?' Lux thought, staring at her hand in horror. She got up quickly, her brain unable to process all she wanted.

"Mum! What's the matter!?" Her son screamed, trying to grab her wrist to look at her burn, but she slapped him away, scared. The gesture had been unconscious, but she could see from the look on his face that he'd hurt his feelings.

"No, wait, honey!" She tried to say, but Darius burst into the room, uneasy.

"What happened!? Why are you screaming?"

"Look what the amulet did to me!" Lux burst out, shoving her injured hand into his face. He touched it gently and inspected it carefully.

"What did you do?" He questioned, letting go of her.

"I touched it and it just…!"

"Let me have a look." He went over to Ethanial's bed and carefully removed the clothing around the amulet. "It's… stuck to your skin? Can… can you touch it?"

Ethanial hesitantly raised his hand to his chest and traced it gently with a single finger. He let out a sigh when he felt nothing.

"Yeah…"

"This must be the dark magic LeBlanc warned us about…" Darius muttered, frowning. "Can you try to get it off?"

"It's stuck to my skin!" The boy whined, but when he saw the look his father gave him, he huffed and tried to remove it. Pain soured through his chest and he let go, watching as the amulet sank deeper into his skin. He screamed in panic, but Lux hugged him tightly to calm him down.

"Why!? What!?" He tried to ask, but the questions didn't seem to be able to come out of his mouth. He looked at them with wide eyes, scared.

Lux kissed his forehead and stroked his hair, just like she used to do when he was a child and had had a nightmare. The General sighed and quickly explained what LeBlanc had told them.

"So… I'm going to have to live with this forever?" Ethanial asked slowly, as if he was choosing his words carefully.

"That's what it looks like." Darius muttered.

"Basically, no one can touch it… I'm cursed, right?"

"It's not a curse, sweetie. It's more of a… well… bad luck." Lux tried to smile at her son, but it was a sad smile, and it quickly faltered.

"This is all my fault…!" He cried, covering his mouth with his hands. "I should've known not to trust her! I'm so stupid…"

"No, honey, everyone makes mistakes. It's not your fault other people have bad intentions."

"We only learn from our mistakes." Darius ruffled his hair and looked into his eyes, serious. "You'll learn to accept this. Eat something and get some rest, it won't be long until we get to the Institute."

The boy got up and grabbed some food, previously left by someone. He devoured it, noticing just how hungry he'd been.

"So, those powers I had…" He spoke again only once he'd finished his first course. "Could I… Do I have them anymore?"

"The only way we'll know is if you try using them." Lux smiled at him. "How'd you manage them before?"

"I don't know. It just sorta happened, I guess."

Before they could continue their conversation, someone knocked on the door and entered.

"We'll be arriving soon." Caitlyn spoke. "Prepare yourselves."

Darius sighed, getting up and placing a hand on his son's back.

"We'll get through this." He muttered, turning to look at Lux.

A frown on his face, Ethanial nodded slowly.

"Where's Ezreal?" The Light Mage asked, slightly worried.

"Vi's dealing with him." Caitlyn answered calmly. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for them to hear loud voices.

"Hey! Put me down! I said-AAAH!"

"No can do, Blondie! Ha, ha! You're so light!"

"Viiii!" Ezreal screeched. "Please!"

Two figures appeared in the doorway. The pinkette was holding the explorer over her head with her huge gauntlets.

"Put him down, now!" Caitlyn ordered, an eyebrow raised and her voice much more stern than usual.

"But Cupcake! He wouldn't get out of the bed! It was the only way, I swear!"

"He was probably tired! You could've been more tactful."

"Sheesh, okay, okay! There, I'm putting you down. Happy now?" Vi placed Ezreal on the floor, who sighed in relief as soon as his feet touched ground. "So, we're all set!"

"And LeBlanc?" Ethanial muttered.

"We'll be taking care of her later. I've heard there's quite a gathering at the Institute."

"Gathering?" The colour drained from the boy's face.

"Yeah, you're all going to be harassed, probably. Well, whatever, I don't care about drama or scandals. Let's go, Cupcake. We've got a prisoner to deal with."

"It's okay, sweetie, don't worry about it." Lux smiled at him, but it was clear she was nervous as well. The boy sighed, trying to calm himself down. He looked at Ezreal, who was apparently very busy staring at his shoes, probably embarrassed.

The train slowly came to a stop and Ethanial felt a hand on his shoulder. He forced his head up and stared into Darius's eyes. His father. It was still an alien feeling to him. He swallowed hard and took a step forward, showing his parents that he was, in fact, brave.

The Noxian was the first one to step onto the Institute's platform. He was followed by Ethanial and Lux. Only when he thought he wouldn't attract much attention, Ezreal came out of the train. A huge crowd of champions were waiting for them. A roar burst out as soon as they were out and Candella came running to hug her mother and brother. She wanted to have embraced her father too but he'd been hiding awkwardly behind the Light Mage, thinking he wouldn't be noticed like that.

"I was so worried!" She screamed, holding onto them tightly. She had tears in her eyes as she looked into their faces. "Dad! Hug me too!"

"Candella!" Ethanial exclaimed, happy. "I missed you!

"You liar!" She responded, swatting at him playfully, a smile still on her face, even when she hadn't stopped sobbing.

"I'm so sorry we went without warning you, honey!" Lux hugged her. "Ethanial got kidnapped and we had to go rescue him."

"It's okay, I heard it all from Soraka. She took care of me." The horned woman appeared behind her, to offer her congratulations on their safe return.

"Thanks." Ezreal smiled kindly at her.

"It was nothing. You must be tired, you should rest. Maybe you should visit the hospital." The healer offered.

Caitlyn and Vi appeared behind them, and tagging along beside them was a handcuffed and pretty angry LeBlanc.

"Make way!" The Enforcer shouted, shoving past Darius. "We're on duty again!"

"Wait, wait!" Jarvan stepped in, going as far as shoving her shoulder slightly "What is going on here?"

"What's going to happen to them?" Janna came running, looking at both the prince and the officers with a pleading look on her face. "I'm sure there's a logical explanation to everything."

"Get out of my way!" Vi growled, her brow furrowing. "I've got a prisoner here! Oi! Is no one listening?"

"Please! We need answers! Officers!" Janna pleaded. Somehow her outburst made the crowd go wild.

"There are rumours of them being expelled from the League! Love is love." Ahri stated, crossing her arms as her tails flickered in annoyance. "There's no such thing as gender, age, race or social status in love. We shouldn't look down on them just because it's 'socially unacceptable' for them to be in love. Whatever that means. Your stupidity doesn't determine love. Nationality is an invented thing and it shouldn't be the one to determine if their love is frowned upon or not. The society you cruel humans have made up makes me sick."

"While I don't specially agree with her pick of words, I do agree with her, love is love." Vayne raised an eyebrow. "And if they love each other, I think they should be together."

"But he's a Noxian and she's a Demacian! That's as wrong as a cat and a dog that fall in love!" Jarvan insisted, forgetting about his previous concerns.

"Yeah, no one cares about the fact that Ezreal was lied to and used." The explorer muttered, angry. He looked around him, disgusted, before huffing in annoyance and quickly darting away, finding it was the perfect chance to escape without being seen. He made his way past the champions as they shouted at one another and debated if their love was worthy or not of their acceptance.

'Guess there are some things that can't be judged.' The boy thought when he got to the Institute. He stopped and looked behind him, a light pain in his chest as he watched the scene from afar. 'Like being hurt by the one you love.'

"Enough of this silly bickering!" The Head of the League Tribunal shouted. "None of you get to decide what's going to happen. A trial will be held tomorrow. You lot, get some rest. Vi, Caitlyn, take LeBlanc to the prison. We'll deal with her tomorrow as well."

* * *

Eventually, Ethanial, Darius and Lux were led to the hospital, where they had a quick check up. After they had made sure everything was fine, they were let go. They decided on staying in the General's apartment, thinking that maybe the other would be flooded by people still asking questions.

The boy entered and had a look around, sitting at the sofa and putting his feet up at the coffee table in front of him.

"So, our fate will be decided by the League Tribunal." Darius sighed, exhausted. "Our future looks pretty bleak."

"Why? Wouldn't they want us to be happy?" Ethanial asked, confused.

"They don't give a shit about the champion's happiness. All they care about is the ratings and what their audience wants. So, our fate is basically being decided by the people out there. And they will always see the love between a Noxian and a Demacian as wrong."

"I won't accept this." Lux screamed. "And I will do whatever it takes for me to be with you."

"And what will you do?"

"I'll quit the League if I have to!"

"You'll lose your immortality." Darius stated, looking deeply into her eyes.

"What's immortality worth if I have to live away from you?"

"I'll quit the League with you." The Noxian answered, raising her chin with his hand.

"We could finally elope and be happy." She smiled.

"What about Candella and Ethanial?"

"Yeah, what's the big idea!?" The teenager exclaimed, slamming his hands against the table in anger. "There you go, thinking about yourselves again. Do you even care about your kids?"

"You'll be fine in the Institute. You'll have a job, income, fame, friends and a place to live." Lux said calmly. "Or you could come with us. You should choose."

"Forget it." Ethanial muttered, clearly upset. He got up and left, silently fuming. He could hear his mother call his name out but he ignored her.

"Leave him be." Darius grabbed Lux's hand when she tried to go after her son. "He needs time to think and to come to terms with everything. So many things have happened in such a short amount of time. He has to understand and to assess what's going on."

"Yes, I'm just… I feel bad for him."

"He's a teenager. I understand you want to mother him, but you need to realise he has things he has to figure out on his own."

"I know but…"

"Let him go. He'll come to you when he needs you. Tell him you're there for him but that you won't interfere."

"Darius…" Lux whined, pulling slightly. She ended up giving up and sighing. "You're right."

"He's very upset and confused." The Noxian muttered, frowning. "It even makes me worry."

"He's in a very difficult position."

"I know. He's just discovered his father is not who he believed it was, then got involved in a fight and his future will be publically trialled."

"We should've just admitted it from the beginning." Lux sighed, sitting down. "I wouldn't have gotten Ezreal into this mess."

"He still had feelings for you back then. He would've still felt pain."

"But he would be over me by now. He'd probably be dating some girl and be happy with her."

"But you wouldn't have Candella." Darius placed his big hands on her cheeks and looked into her pretty face. "You love her very, very much. Do you really want to imagine a world without her?"

A sob got caught in her throat as she managed to choke out a short "No."

"Things are what they are. We can't change the past so you need to accept it. It's wonderful as it is. I wouldn't give up Ethanial for anything in the world. That's why I don't want you to regret Candella."

"I don't regret her, but…"

He silenced her with a kiss.

"I want to live with you and Ethanial. I want the life I deserve." The Noxian stared into her eyes as he spoke.

"I want that too." Lux whispered, tears stinging her eyes as she tried to blink them away.

"What are we going to do with Ezreal and Candella? Do you want them to live with us? I'd be okay with it."

"I don't think he will." She lowered his hands and looked at the ground. "This isn't something you and I can decide. We need to talk to him about it. And maybe even involve the kids."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello there! Sorry this took so long, I kept changing and tweaking things, and I'm still not sure if this is any good.**

* * *

Chapter 9

Ezreal ran into the room, panting. He was slightly late, mostly because he hadn't been able to get himself out of bed. He had been dreading this moment. He was about to take a seat when he saw that Darius and Lux were both standing in front of the Head of the Tribunal, who also beckoned the explorer over. The teen sighed and willed his tired body to stand next to the woman he loved, but wasn't able to look at her.

"Shall we commence now that everyone's here?" The man in front of them asked, and got a general response of approval from the people in the room.

Looking around him, Ezreal noticed the members of the Tribunal were sitting in a U formation, so they had a clear view of his nervousness.

"Champion Luxanna Crownguard." The Head of the Trubunal started speaking after clearing his throat. "There have been rumours claiming that Ethanial is actually the son of General Darius. What do you have to say to this?"

"Ethanial is indeed the son of Darius." Lux stated, her voice unwavering. Ezreal would've felt a blow to the gut if he hadn't known this information already. He was mildly surprised at how calmed she seemed with the situation.

"You have a daughter, Candella. Mind telling us who her father is?"

"She is Ezreal's, sir."

"I see. Well, aside from whatever deal you three have, you must know what situation you are in. The world already knows about the scandalous act of the Demacian who had a Noxian child by her own free will. It is by free will, yes?" The Head of the Tribunal lifted an eyebrow, as if he was hoping she would admit to a rape and wouldn't have to punish them, or whatever he had in mind.

"It is." Lux answered, still looking deeply into the man's eyes.

He sighed, tired.

"We are in quite a bind, you see. We don't want to expel any of you. We think you don't need to be expelled, but the people are asking for answers, for some form of action."

"With all due respect" Darius interrupted, forcing everyone to look at him, except for maybe an upset blond. "I don't think any form of action needs to be taken. We haven't done anything wrong, and even if we had, it's not something the Tribunal has any control over."

"So you want us to pretend like nothing's happened?" The Head of the Tribunal raised his voice, outraged. "The whole world is upset!"

"So let them be." The General growled. "Who cares?"

"We care! I care! You should care. Have you forgotten that thanks to them you have this career? Those people feed you!"

"I think you're looking at this in the wrong light." Darius continued "The more they talk about us, the more popular we become, right?"

The Head of the Tribunal fell silent for a while, before slowly speaking.

"But it's not necessarily good publicity."

"Well, how about this, then?" The General's green eyes gleamed. "How about a distraction?"

* * *

Ezreal whined in frustration. He couldn't believe the outcome of the trial. Sure, he was happy he hadn't been expelled or something like that, but he couldn't believe those two had gotten away with it. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, and, after hearing Darius's words, he had realised that the Tribunal couldn't ban or punish their love. In fact, no one could, and that was possibly what had the explorer in such a grump.

Not only that, but the two love birds had gotten the privilege to live together along with Ethanial. When he'd complained about it he'd been totally ignored, but at least he could still keep the old apartment. The one he'd lived in with Lux and the kids for so many years. He was currently there, on the sofa, staring at the walls, upset and dumbfounded. He couldn't believe his luck, and his mind kept thinking how lonely he felt in that house. At least he'd been allowed to live with Candella, but she was currently playing with Nami in her pool.

The blond let out a loud wail, running his hands through his hair and tugging on it tightly. He shut his eyes and clenched his teeth as he tried his best to stop himself for screaming in pain.

So he decided on doing what looked like the least stupid thing he could do at that moment and headed to the bar.

* * *

He was alone in the training room. Ethanial smiled slightly as he prepared his body for what was about to come. He closed his eyes and sighed, relaxing. When he felt calm enough, he opened his palm and willed an orb of light to appear. He had little hope of it actually working, with the amulet broken, but he had to try it anyway.

He almost screamed when he saw the light appear in the palm of his hand. Ecstatic, he made it disappear, only to force the light sword out. He wielded it, tears of joy springing to his eyes.

He would be the most powerful champion in the League. He had magic and was good at fighting. He would, one day, battle LeBlanc and win. That would be his revenge.

* * *

The preparations for the distraction started immediately. The tailors and seamstresses began to work on a set of clothes, while the Tribunal released the backstory and pictures, everything being kept a secret from Ethanial.

It wouldn't take much longer for the show to start.

* * *

A few days later

Darius was watching Ezreal as the explorer came out of the match he'd just won. He high-fived Taric and congratulated the rest of the team. The Noxian was staring with a stern look on his face, trying to see if he could notice anything abnormal in the blonde's behaviour.

"He isn't doing alright." Katarina hummed, looking at her nails, distracted. The General hadn't seen her approach him, but hid the surprise well enough, turning his head slowly to look at her and waiting until their gazes met to talk.

"Care to elaborate?"

She pushed herself off from the wall she'd been leaning on and started walking, knowing that he would follow her without complaint.

"He's on the rebound, I guess?" She stated, her tone of voice questioning his actions. "Tried to get me to have sex with him."

"He's trying to get revenge?" Darius answered, unsure.

"No, I don't think it's that. He clearly stated he hated me and just wanted angry sex." She turned a corner briskly and sighed. "He spends day and night at the bar getting drunk and trying to pick up on women. You wanted me to keep an eye on him, right?"

He didn't say anything. He didn't want to admit that he was worried for the explorer and had hid it behind the pretence that he was doing it for Lux, but he was pretty sure Katarina had seen through him.

"So, anyway, as I was saying. He's trying to get into anyone's pants."

"Are you trying to tell me something? I'm failing to understand your point. He's a grown man. He's had his love problems. He might just need to vent a bit and that will be it."

"It's not that, Darius." Katarina sighed. "My point is he's trying to harm himself."

"I'm having a hard time believing this." The man answered.

"And there I was thinking you were the smart one." She sighed and stopped walking to look into his eyes. "This is his way of hurting himself. Throwing his body to whoever will take it. Acting thoughtlessly and carelessly. It's obviously his way of asking for help."

"I will reconsider then." Darius muttered hesitantly, clenching his teeth. "Anything else?"

"I heard about the outcome of the trail. Congratulations, I guess?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Not like I really care."

"I figured." He muttered, bored with the conversation already. Curiosity getting the better of him, he asked "So… are you going to have sex with Ezreal?"

"Mmmm, how should I put this?" Katarina tapped her cheek with her finger. "I'd rather bear Garen a child."

"He'd be thrilled."

"Droll." She spat, sarcastically. "I'll leave you to keep spying on your little sweetheart you are so desperate to protect."

"Look who's being hilarious now."

"It's not just now. I always am." She smirked, throwing her hair over her shoulder before walking away, a smug grin on her face.

* * *

"You've a visitor, sweetie." Lux called to her son, knocking on the door of what was now his room, in their new apartment. The teenager thanked his mother as he went to see who it was.

"Ekko?" Ethanial lazily walked over to where his friend was casually leaning on the wall.

"Yo." The other greeted, a cheeky grin spreading on his face. "Wanna go somewhere?"

"Sure." The younger muttered, frowning slightly as he looked at Darius, maybe asking for approval on going out. The Noxian grunted and turned around, his way of saying that his son could do as he pleased. Relieved, Ethanial put a jacket on and left the apartment, happy that he had a solid excuse to be away from that place.

"So, anywhere in mind?" He asked as Ekko lead him through the gardens, getting into a wilderness he'd never seen before.

"Isn't this place cool?" The other laughed when they got to a clearing. "All of these plants are Zyra's!"

"Sure, whatever."

"You look down." Ekko muttered gently, a soft look on his face as he watched the grouchy boy sit down on the grass. "So I brought something."

He removed the schoolbag that he'd been carrying and got out an unmarked bottle, placing it in front of the other, a sly smirk on his face.

"What is this?" Ethanial's brow creased.

"Rum." He answered as he sat down in front of the other.

"Rum? Where'd you…!? How'd you…!? _How did_ you get this?"

"Miss Fortune. You know she owns the bar, right? She sometimes sneaks things to me. We have an… _understanding_."

"What kind of understanding? What are you doing?" Ethanial looked at the other, suspicious.

"Relax, it's not what you're thinking. I just pay her. She looks over the fact that I'm underage."

"Why?"

"Because I'll never be 18 and I'll never be able to have a drink. So I convinced her."

"With money, I suppose."

"Exactly!" Ekko tapped his nose as he smiled at his friend. "Anyway, drink up."

"Wait… Jinx is also 17… is she getting any alcohol?"

"Are you _kidding_!? She's a psycho sober, do you ever wanna see her _drunk_!?"

"Why make an exception for you?"

"'Cause I'm the time boy. Now shut up and drink up."

Ethanial hesitantly grabbed the bottle and took the cap off. He pressed it lightly against his lips and, closing his eyes, tipped it gently so some of the liquid entered his mouth. He eagerly had a few gulps before scrunching his nose and moving the bottle away from him. He fought back coughs as the rum burnt down his throat, a bitter taste left in his mouth.

"How was your first time?" Ekko giggled, grabbing the bottle from him and giving it a few chugs.

"I don't know…" He honestly couldn't tell if he liked the sensation or not. It seemed like it tasted disgusting but he kind of wanted more. The other noticed and gave him the rum back.

"How're you dealing with all of this?" Ekko muttered, rummaging into his bag and grabbing a packet of cigarettes. He placed one into his mouth, lit it and inhaled, closing his eyes as he did.

"Are you smoking!?" Ethanial hissed at him after he'd taken another sip of rum.

"Yeah, what of it? I'm just trying out new things. Nothing wrong with that."

"Miss Fortune again?"

"Yeah, they were on offer. Want one?"

"Ugh, no, that's seriously disgusting."

Ekko grinned and blew smoke into the other's face, forcing the other to cough and push the assassin away in a playful way.

"You jerk!"

"Look who's speaking! Answer me already. Stop dodging my questions."

"It's awful. I feel really stupid for having unravelled the truth. I feel even worse for letting LeBlanc trick me."

"Happens to anyone. Don't beat yourself up for it."

"If I were you I'd just turn back time and… wait, Ekko, could you…?" He was cut off by the other, who was frowning at him.

"No, I can't do it and I won't. You need to take responsibility for the consequences of your actions."

"You're letting a fifteen year old drink." Ethanial responded with a deadpan look.

"Yeah, well, I'm only seventeen myself." He stuck his tongue out. "Plus, I think you need it."

"How do I need it?"

"I've been drunk before. It makes you feel good. I want you to feel good."

"If I drink this, I'll feel good?"

"Ah-huh." Ekko muttered, giving the cigarette a last drag before throwing it away.

They were silent for a while. They took turns to take swigs out of the bottle, passing it to each other.

"I hate how things turned out." Ethanial grumbled, unhappy.

"I hate that things had to be this way." Ekko muttered, laying on the ground and gazing at the stars in the sky.

"Hey…" The younger one mumbled, waiting as the other got up to look at him. "You don't care that I'm half Noxian?"

"You never cared that I was from Zaun. They're both pretty fucked up places, if you ask me." Ekko shrugged, but smiled honestly at his friend.

"It's just that everyone's been treating me differently since they found out who my real father is and I hate it!" Taking a few long sips from the bottle, his fists clenched and he felt like sobbing. "Garen doesn't even want to speak to me anymore. Everyone from Demacia is acting cold towards me. You're like, the only person that hasn't changed their attitude towards me."

"And why would I, Ethanial? You're still you."

"Adults are stupid."

"They sure are."

They were silent again as they looked at the stars. Ethanial felt a warm buzz in his stomach as he kept drinking. He felt a little dizzy and he couldn't quite understand what was going on with him.

"What's it like having Darius as your father?" Ekko asked, sitting up again.

"Honestly, he doesn't _feel_ like my father. I never wanted him to be."

"But you liked him when he was training you."

"Yeah, but that was different! I thought Ezreal was my father and I looked up to both of them, but knowing that Lux and Darius deceived Ezreal… it bothers me sooo much."

"Why?"

"It's like… I still see Ezreal as a parent. I think he'll always stay that way in my mind. He might not be my biological father but he was there all my childhood."

Ethanial reached for the bottle but Ekko stopped him.

"I think you've had enough."

"No! Give me more!" He growled, and the assassin eventually gave in, sighing. In their playful struggle, Ekko caught a glimpse of gold against the other's skin.

"Hey… what's… that?" The Boy Who Shattered Time whispered, his fingers outstretching to try to touch it.

"No!" Ethanial whimpered, moving away from the other and hiding the amulet from Ekko's view. "You can't touch it."

"Wh-Why not?"

"It'll burn you." The boy whispered, hesitantly showing it to the assassin. "It's some pretty dark magic. Look, it's stuck to my skin. I can't do anything to remove it."

"What do you mean it'll burn me!? Let me touch it, I can help."

"No, you can't! Lux burnt her fingers trying to get it off. It just sinks deeper into my skin if anyone but me touches it."

"That's ridiculous."

"It gave me powers, too. Apparently they are deep inside me and it only helps me bring them out, but I know myself that I have less magic in me than…" He struggled to look for a metaphor as he waved his hands in front of him. "Look, just trust me."

"Show me. Show me what you can do."

"Alright." Ethanial sighed, giving in. He raised his right hand and an orb of light appeared. He made it really bright before dimming it down until it stopped glowing all together. He materialized his trustworthy light sword and swung it around, showing it off. Ekko slowly traced his finger around the edges of the weapon.

"Oh, wow, it's sharp. How can you do this!?"

"I can't without the amulet. Told you."

"Yeah, I remember watching you train and you couldn't even conjure that light orb you did before. Dark magic, huh?"

"Yeah, it's pretty powerful."

"Aren't you scared?"

"Scared? Why should I be?"

"Well, it _is_ dark magic. And it seems to be attached to you to the point you can't get it off. I mean, don't you think it's dangerous?"

"I… I hadn't thought of that, actually." He paused to continue drinking.

"What are you going to do?" Ekko asked quietly, biting his lip.

"I don't know… Is there anything I can do?"

"You could talk to LeBlanc… she's the one that gave it to you, right?"

"Yeah, but she's in prison. How do you know about that? Well, actually, how much do you know about what happened?"

"Not much."

"Okay, I'll tell you everything."

Ethanial began to narrate what had happened, and by the time he'd finished, he felt weird. He tried to get up but his head was spinning and he couldn't control it.

"I don't feel too well…" He muttered as he staggered. Ekko caught him just in time, looking at him with a worried expression on his face.

"Ethanial…?"

"Gods, everything is just… spinning…" He slurred.

"Well, time to take you home."

* * *

Ekko kicked the door with his foot, grunting as he held onto his drunk friend. He was using all his upper body strength to keep Ethanial on his back. He was getting annoyed as no one seemed to be answering the door.

'I should've just taken him to my place.' He thought to himself just as he heard a creak and Darius loomed over him, grunting something.

"Hey!" Ekko smiled, handing the nearly unconscious boy over to the Noxian. "I came to deliver this."

"You got him drunk?" Darius scowled at him, forcing the boy to take a step back, threatened.

"No, he was like that when I found him." He managed to blurt out, showing off a cocky smile as he finished the sentence.

"He went off with _you_."

"A bit late to be playing the father figure, huh?" Ekko smirked, forcing an even larger scowl from the other.

"You're both minors. Don't act like you know what you're doing."

"He's old enough to decide what he does, don't you think?"

"But not old enough to drink. He's still got some growing to do."

"You know better than anyone that he's not going to be doing that anymore. Let him have some fun."

"This is fun to you? Bringing him this intoxicated?"

"Fun is trying new things. Being a kid while he still has a chance."

* * *

"Ethanial, wake up." Darius was leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest when the boy opened his eyes.

"Uh?" He tried to say something but could only blink. His mouth tasted funny and he was feeling weird. He didn't remember how he got home the previous night.

"Get up. You've got an interview."

"Interview? What?" The teenager croaked, after he managed to pull his body to a sitting position on his bed.

"You're entering the League."

"What!? When!?" Ethanial suddenly woke up, his sleepiness wearing off.

"That's what they'll be telling you today." The man was about to go when he turned around to look at his son and frowned. After a small silence, he walked up to him and sat on his bed. "You were very drunk last night."

"I… was?" He didn't know what to say really. He couldn't remember much and he was pretty embarrassed about the fact that Darius had brought it up.

"I'm disappointed."

His eyes widened when he heard that. Something inside of him clicked, but he wasn't sure what. He looked down at his hands, suddenly feeling sick.

"But…" The General continued. "It also made me think. I've always wanted a son. And I wanted him to come of age and have a drink together with him. Last night reminded me that I will never be able to do that."

Ethanial finally gathered the courage to look at his father in the eye. He swallowed nervously as they stared at each other.

"I'm not telling Lux, be thankful."

"Yeah, thanks." The boy rubbed the back of his head, thinking what could happen if his mother found out about yesterday. He honestly didn't want to know.

"I'll give you a lecture about alcohol. And any other adult topic I think you should know about. But not now. Get ready."

'Adult topic?' The teenager had a pretty good idea what that would be about. He groaned, watching the man heave himself off his bed.

"Anyway, give it your all." And with that, Darius left the room.

* * *

Ethanial looked stunning in the new clothes the League had prepared for him. He had two suits – dark and light they were called – and now he was wearing a black shirt and matching trousers that clung to his figure, part of the former attire. His boots were also dark and brand new. He'd combed his hair back and was sporting a crooked half smile.

"I don't want to be here" Ezreal huffed, mostly to himself, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked away, annoyed and embarrassed, wishing it would all end soon. He'd been forced to attend the interview, and even if he was proud of the boy, he still wasn't in the mood to speak to Lux, who, by the way, hadn't even bothered to ask how he was, which was making his blood boil. Uses him, fucks him, then forgets him, that's all that was on his mind as he silently watch her fawn over her child.

"Go on, kid, show us what you've got." The man speaking was an important part of the Tribunal, Ethanial was sure of that, but he didn't know who he was. He was barking orders to an assistant with a clipboard, who was writing everything down.

The fifteen year old nodded his head, and a magical light sword formed in the palm of his hand. He swung it expertly, showing off the skills he'd acquired under Darius's training.

The assistant hummed in approval, taking notes of everything he saw. Lux clapped her hands in excitement, watching her son perform so wonderfully.

The sword disappeared into his palm again, and this time, Ethanial produced a total of three light daggers, which he threw to the sides, all lodging themselves perfectly in the practice dummies around them.

"How's your magic?" The man asked, cocking his head to the side, expectant.

Ethanial shot out various light bolts from the palm of his hand and the League people looked content.

"Perfect. You'll be 'The Light's Child'. Oh, and by the way, your entrance is the most expected ever in the history of the League."

"It is?" He grinned, clutching more light daggers he'd conjured up.

"Yes. In fact, all of your popularities have increased tremendously." All thanks to the distraction campaign they'd come up with, but of course he wasn't going to tell them that.

Ezreal turned to face him, his brow frowning.

"Darius and Lux are seen as the new Romeo and Juliet, a love story that actually worked. Everyone is thrilled. And everyone just adores their cute love child. And let's not forget poor broken-hearted Ezreal here. All the girls out there want to comfort him."

"What?" The explorer said, his mouth dropping open. His arms slowly unfolded from his chest. "Really?"

"Oh yeah, every woman out there wants to mend your broken heart. They adore your fatherly love for Ethanial, as well. You're really popular right now."

"I am?" Ezreal smirked smugly. "Heh, good to know." Finally something good had happened to him.

"Anyway" The man spoke to the boy again. "Let's go over your abilities."

After the speech, they left Ethanial to practise. He'd been told the rules so many times he was sure he could spurt them out effortlessly, like a parrot blurting out the lines it knew. The boy was a fighter, and a hybrid, which meant he could use both ability power items and attack damage. His lanes were primarily top and mid, but he'd already been warned that those weren't necessarily the roles he'd end up playing, so he needed to learn everything there was to learn. He could blind his opponent, throw daggers a reasonably good distance and even throw light orbs, but he had his trustworthy sword for basic attacks.

His first match would be the next day, and he was all too eager to play it. Despite the small fact that he was feeling a little hung-over, he spent the entire day practising, wanting to do his very best.

* * *

He'd already packed their bags. Well, bag. One each, they didn't need much for an adventure. She was going to learn how to do it his style. All that he needed was permission. And he was going to go the Darius way about it.

After mulling it over for a while, he'd decided that he'd hit rock bottom and that the only way of changing his current situation was to leave for a bit, to clear his mind. All those years locked up in the Institute couldn't have been good for him. He was an explorer, they couldn't keep him cooped up eternally, it was bad for him. He needed to be free, to see the world, to live, to regain the passion he'd lost after all that had just happened to him.

So he knocked on the door of the Head of the Tribunal's office and barged in, not caring what he was interrupting, if anything.

"Ezreal." The man spoke, an eyebrow raised. "Is there a problem?"

"I want a vacation."

"As a League Champion you should know no such thing exists here."

"Ok, I want a sick leave or something."

"You're not sick."

"Heartbroken is a type of sick." Ezreal pleaded, but there was a note of amusement in his tone. "Ok, I'll be frank. I can't deal with the situation right now. I was hoping you'd understand. My whole life's been flipped upside down and the girl I wanted to marry has left me for a filthy Noxian. I think I deserve some sort of time to get over this."

"Some people get over things like that by working." The Head of the Tribunal suggested, shrugging his shoulders. The explorer was annoyed. He couldn't believe he was being given such a hard time when all it took Darius was a glimmer in his eyes to get what he wanted. Maybe it was their difference in size. He rejected the idea. He was not going to let that… man… win, not even at this.

"Either I am allowed to leave the Institute without any further consequences or I will not let Candella join the League." Ezreal's tone became menacing as he stared at the man in front of him. "Let me inform you that she's an excellent healer by the way. Cured Lux's second degree burns in half a minute. Valuable asset to your lacking support team."

The Head of the Tribunal's mouth opened wide as he heard those words. He swallowed, nervously.

"I guess you could be gone for… a week?" He whispered, nervous.

"Two. And Candella's coming with me. There's no need for her here, right?" He smirked at him, smug about the fact that he'd gotten what he wanted.

"Alright, two. Starting tomorrow."

"I can work with that. Well, see ya. _If_ I ever get back!" Ezreal laughed as he turned around, walking briskly out. "You never know with explorers, if they'll make it back home safely."


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry this took so long, I unexpectedly went on hiatus. Oops, sorry. Turns out I've got a lot of shit to do. But, I think this is my longest chapter yet (take it as an apology for the delay).  
**

 **To the lovely person asking about EkkoxJinx: sooooo you might kill me. There will be slight hints to this pairing but the way I see it is Ekko having a huge crush on her and Jinx too oblivious/doesn't give a fuck. You'll see what I mean later on.**

 **Sorry not sorry for making the Crownguard siblings such dicks. Also I love Ekko and Ethanial's bromance.**

 **I'd also like to mention that I'm sorry for last chapter's intro. I had just spent five hours straight editing that chapter and I was going insane. I had no idea what was right and what was wrong. I'd lost all language ability.**

 **And, to end on a nice note, this is a belated birthday gift for a friend of mine, who enjoyed my story! Thank you very much for reading all of the works I send your way, V! (I'm not comfortable giving out people's names online). And a happy late birthday! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well and endure me as a friend for a long time.**

* * *

Chapter 10

Ethanial couldn't help the giddy grin from appearing on his face as he entered the Rift. It wasn't by far the first time he'd been there, but there was a certain something in the air that made this special. Maybe it was the group of champions patting him on the back and encouraging him on his first match. Rakan and his permanently lifted eyebrow smirked at him while he offered him good luck. The boy nodded at them, feeling confident.

He heard the female voice welcome them all to the Rift as he walked to the mid lane, whistling happily. He was about to engage in playful banter when he found his opponent to be a sly looking Katarina.

"Look what the Kat will drag out of the Rift." She carefully spoke, her daggers twirling in her hands. "So I'm your first opponent, huh?"

Ethanial didn't answer. He stared at her in contempt, hoping that would be enough to intimidate the fearless assassin.

"I still bare a grudge against you, just so you know. I'm not going to go easy on you just because it's your first time." She all but purred, a calloused thumb rubbing over the blade of her weapon.

Unlike his, her tactics worked, making the boy stumble backwards. She snorted, a grin on her face as she watched the minions appear. She last hit them all, much to his surprise, who missed all but two of the first wave. Annoyed, he decided to take it out on her, but she was too quick for him, having hurt him before he could get to her.

She was agile and fast, her mobility far superior to his. His best attempt was throwing his daggers at her, but she managed to dodge them all. She snickered when he run out of them, which forced out a pent-up growl from him.

The weapons she tossed at him hit him, taking nearly a quarter of his life. And he missed more minions as he watched her perfectly last hit. She levelled up before he did, so she took the chance to jump on him and hit him with various abilities. Panicking, Ethanial flashed out of the way, but she copied him, gaining on him and finally killing him with a few more auto attacks and the use of ignite. The sound of her laugh echoing around him probably was the thing that annoyed him the most. It wasn't just the fact that she'd bested him, because he could win. He would beat her.

Before he noticed, he was down by fifty cs and was 0/4/0, his anger taking the best of him and forcing himself to initiate a fight he wasn't going to win.

It was an overwhelming defeat for the boy's team, and he felt exhausted after trying so hard and getting nowhere.

* * *

Darius had been watching his son's first match with a deadpan look on his face. He could only describe Ethanial's decisions as stupid and his fighting had been pretty weak.

After the Light's Child imminent defeat, the General left the spectating room only to face the last person on Runeterra he wanted to see.

"So…" Katarina approached him, a smirk spread on her smug face. "I'm guessing you just watched the match."

The General looked unimpressed. He was dressed in his League attire as he had a match soon. The Head of the Tribunal had been right, his popularity _had_ increased, which wasn't something he desired.

"What about it?" He muttered, sounding bored.

"Your boy's pretty bad. It was quite humiliating." She grinned, happily.

"How was your first match, Kata? I don't remember it being any good either. Plus, he's still a kid. So, yeah, he's got much to learn, but I can say the same for you."

"Whoa, someone's overprotective. And my guess would've been Lux." She followed him as he scoffed and turned around.

"I bet he's crying right now." She said with glee.

After a few more futile attempts at angering him, she sighed and gave up.

"So, I've got some news." She muttered.

"I don't care. You've been trying to piss me off for five minutes now, leave me alone."

"Oh, _this_ you want to hear." She waited for a response, but he just looked at her with a face she couldn't read. "So, get this. Ezreal's left."

"Ezreal… hmmm…" Darius stopped in his tracks, taking Kat by surprise. "How'd you know that? Where to?"

"Talon told me. Don't ask me how he gets his information but he's more reliable than anyone else I know. Ezreal managed to convince the Tribunal to let him have two weeks off. Oh, and he took Candella."

"Mmmm, Lux won't be happy about that. Hey, Kata, could you do me a favour?"

"Depends. Do I get anything in return?"

"I want you to keep an eye open on Ezreal when he gets back. Spy on him all you want and report anything to me."

"Oh. You're worried about him? How sweet of you." She grinned with a shit eating smirk.

"It's more of a… 'I'm doing it for Lux' thing."

"Sure it is." She laughed, turning around and walking away.

"You'll do it, right?" He called out to her, which made her stop. She shrugged her shoulders, but he could tell by the devilish grin she shot at him that she would enjoy it very much.

* * *

Darius sighed, entering his new home. He found Lux in their bedroom, sitting at their desk, looking at something intently.

"I've received a letter from my parents." She muttered when she heard him come in. She didn't turn to look at him, but he noticed the papers fisted in her hand.

"What did they say?"

"It's pretty much them saying they know what I've done. Also, they have disowned me and disinherited me." The Light Mage hid her face in her hands. "I'm no longer a Crownguard."

"Uh…" He muttered, taking a few steps closer and placing a hand on her shoulder for moral support. "I'm sorry."

"I think Garen has something to do with this." She turned to look at him, frowning and angry.

Darius scoffed, rolling his eyes. "That bastard. As if he wasn't doing the exact same thing."

"I know! This is so frustrating!" She whined, crumpling the letter up and throwing it against the desk in a rage.

"So… I was thinking…" He leaned in, kissing her neck gently. "Ethanial will be participating in matches all day… and it's been a long time since we've been intimate…"

"I don't know…"

"I've missed you so much." He whispered against her ear, making the hairs on her neck stand up and igniting a fire inside her. Her eyes widened as she felt his hands trail over her waist and she smiled, defeated.

She got up and turned around, kissing his lips, first gently then passionately, melting into his hands as he pressed her against him. They found their bed in their blind, drunken love and she ended up on it first. He crawled on top of her, almost touching her but not quite. Darius rested his body weight on his left arm while his right hand brushed her cheek lovingly. They stared into each other's eyes, small, gentle smiles on their lips before he leaned in and kissed hers.

He made a point to pamper her constantly. While their mouths connected, he stroked her head and hair, then traced her face with a finger, and when they separated, they looked at each other with so much love they could almost feel it.

They took each other's clothes off slowly, stopping every once in a while to massage their lovers body, or to kiss a bit of skin. When she took his trousers off and noticed his erect member, she felt something inside of her stir. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed this, how much she'd missed _him_. She gasped when he touched her naked body with his big hands, feeling herself on fire. Slowly, his hands reached her down there, and she was sure that if he touched her, she would melt. Wetness was pooling when a single digit pressed against her folds. She mumbled incoherently, too drunk on love and lust to even bother to formulate proper words. Her actions forced a small half-grin on his face, the right side of his lips twitching before he leaned in and kissed the beauty shivering under him, his fingers working wonders on her lower body.

His dick throbbed in need as he watched her arch her back and scream, his fingers coated in her new release of fluids.

"Lux" he whispered, forcing her to return to the bed from the heavenly lust she'd been sent to. She looked at him with half-lidded eyes, barely even capable of focusing on him.

"Oh, you want me to…" She tried to say, her hands reaching out for his desirable cock, precum leaking from the tip, looking good enough to eat, which was the idea that crossed her mind.

"No." He growled, moving his hips away, forcing his dick out of her view. "I want to make love to you."

"I'm waiting." She mouthed, lifting her legs up and spreading them, giving him the perfect view for him. Suddenly, his mouth pooled with saliva and he nearly came at that moment, his member far too impatient for its own good. She stared at him, a look in her eyes that gave away how much lust she felt. She stared at him with a naughty smile on her face, inviting him in. He licked his lips and leaned in, his hands tracing her breasts, giving them a little squeeze before trailing all over her body, forcing moans and demands for more out of her pretty little mouth. Her head was forced backwards, giving him plenty of space for him to work on her neck. He sunk his teeth into her skin, making her yelp, her legs twitching, still raised. His hands reached her bottom and cupped both her cheeks, raising her hips and positioning her for him to fit in perfectly. He hesitated, lowering himself and giving her pink folds a hesitant lick. She shivered then, her hips thrusting upwards uncontrollably as he began to lick her, growing bold. His tongue traced her folds tentatively and found her clit, which he lapped with a new found passion. She arched her back and dug her hands into his hair, giving a hard pull every time his tongue darted the right way on her sensitive spot, forcing a low mewl from her parted lips.

He dug in, applying more pressure and she gasped, tears in her eyes as she was approaching a strong orgasm. It had been so long since she'd been eaten out, she had almost forgotten what it felt like. And it felt like Heaven.

Lux forced his head forward and he didn't have to be told twice as he pressed his mouth and sucked on her clit, forcing her to yell as she came. Darius almost snickered, lapping up all the new juices her orgasm has brought. He lifted himself off the bed and walked over to the bedside table, to look for the condoms. When he looked back at her, he found her sprawled out on the bed, her face red and muttering incomprehensible gibberish, panting still as she was enjoying the high of her orgasm.

He laid himself on top of her and stroked himself as he watched her try to focus back on him, finding it close to impossible. Darius leaned in and kissed the top of her head gently as he put the condom on.

Lux found his fingers touching her again, which sent more waves of pleasure all throughout her body. She moaned and arched her back, spreading her legs more to give him more room to work.

He gently caressed her cheek and shushed her as he aligned himself, and before she could beg for it, he'd pushed himself inside of her, her welcoming warmth nearly enough to send him over the edge. They moaned in unison as he entered her, and he gave them a few seconds to adjust before he started thrusting. His hands moved to her legs, to push them apart and to stroke them, gently massaging her thighs before lying sweet kisses over them. She whined and wriggled, wanting him to start moving and when he noticed, he slowly retreated from inside of her, only to pull in with a sharp thrust, hitting a sensitive point for her.

The gasp nearly turned into a scream as he repeated this action, making Lux throw her head back as her hands searched frantically for something to grasp. She found his chest and neck and clung onto him, igniting his need for her.

He slowly rocked his hips back and forth, enjoying the growing sensation he felt as he did her. He loved this. He loved making her feel good. He liked it slow and gentle, lovingly and passionate, to strengthen their bond.

He let go of her legs and pressed himself on top of her, to kiss her mouth and look into her eyes. He momentarily stopped the thrusting to bring her into a close hug, embracing her with his strong arms. She wrapped her legs over his waist and her hands around his neck, and he started moving again.

He stared into her blue eyes and smiled, then leaned in for a long kiss, their tongues sloppy as his thrusting made it hard for them. He pulled away gently and brought his mouth to her ear.

"I love you." He whispered in between pants, and he noticed her tighten around him suddenly.

"I…I…!" She tried to say but found that speaking was hard when he was nibbling on her ear.

"I love you so much, Lux." He groaned, his rhythm increasing, knowing he was close to his climax. He didn't want it to end there so he pulled away, his heart beating heavily with the need to satisfy his erect member.

"Darius…" She whined, and he stroked her hair to calm her down.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." He whispered gently, before an idea popped up in his head. "Ride me?"

She nodded enthusiastically as she pulled herself up, allowing him to lay on the bed. She teased him slightly, tracing her folds with his cock before sliding herself on top of him, her warmth and tightness engulfing him, forcing any thought other than how good she felt out of his mind. She moaned, straightening her back, his dick making her feel wonderful in that position. She rocked herself slowly, aided by his firm hands on her waist, guiding her, making her feel even better.

She threw her head back and let the moans slip out of her mouth, forcing him to grow harder at the sight. She moved her hands back and switched her position slightly, thrusting her hips upwards, his dick hitting her insides at a different angle than before, which she couldn't deny felt even more glorious. Her nails dug into his thighs without her being able to stop herself as she rocked herself harder on him, his lusty pants turning into animalistic growls as she tightened around him.

"You feel so fucking good." He let himself say, his hands trailing up to her tits so he could squeeze them hungrily, his eyes now on the squished pink nipples that tried to hide in between his fingers as he toyed around with her breasts. He wanted nothing more but to suck on them as she gyrated on his cock, so he brought her body down onto his mouth and began thrusting upwards into her.

Little gasps and moans spilled from her mouth as she undug her nails from his skin and threw her hands into his hair, pulling lightly. She nearly went cross-eyed from the delicious pounding she was getting from him. Thank God he wasn't finished with her, as he quickly turned them around, slamming her body against the mattress and grabbing her waist with force. He began to use her like a human fleshlight and roughly slid her up and down his throbbing cock which was so close to bursting he couldn't stop the unnatural groans from erupting from his half opened mouth. He closed his eyes tightly as he peaked, his orgasm hitting him hard as he came inside her. He was still pulsating and heaving as he slid out of her, watching carefully as she moaned in complaint, feeling suddenly empty. Before she could verbally manifest her sadness, he was on his knees, grabbing her hips and pulling her towards his mouth, digging his tongue right into her hot and wet cunt, enjoying her mewls of pleasure as he lapped her up. When he'd had enough of her succulent taste, he thrust two fat fingers into her awaiting womanhood and curled them up, reaching places she wished she could reach herself. It took two quick rubbing movements from his curled fingers to send her over the edge, making her scream with ecstasy.

When her pleasure induced yelling had subsided, she threw her head back, feeling the waves of relaxation that came from the aftermath of her orgasm. She watched as he took the condom off, kissed her forehead lovingly and fell next to her on the bed, panting with her.

"Darius…" She tried to say, but he used his giant hands to bring her face to his and he surprised her with a long kiss before he pressed their foreheads together.

"I love you, Lux." He whispered, a smile in his voice as well as on his face. "You're all I've wanted for some time now."

She grinned back at him, warmth exploding inside of her as she told him how much she loved him as well.

* * *

"Oh, there you are." She heard a voice behind her. When Lux turned around she found Jarvan and Garen walking towards her. She was actually looking for her brother so finding him in a situation like this was fortunate.

"Your majesty." She bowed her head lightly and forced a smile onto her face, only to be met with a stern look from him.

"I'm here to inform you of something." The prince took out a rolled scroll and started reading it, his eyes not looking into hers. "Luxanna Crownguard, after much consideration, the kingdom of Demacia has decided that your acts of treason against it shall be punished and you are hereby expelled from Demacia for ever. Your nationality has been revoked and you are no longer allowed to represent Demacia in the League battles or ask for political asylum.

"What the fuck!?" She screamed, unable to control the rage that his words had caused her.

"Allow me to continue, please." He shot her a look. "Signed, Prince Jarvan the Fourth, who acts as legal representant of the King."

"What is the meaning of this?"

"What don't you understand, sis?" Garen smirked, crossing his arms against his chest. "You're no longer a Demacian."

"Ah, my apologies, Luxanna. There appears to be a mistake in the document." Jarvan looked over it again. "I have been informed that your name is no longer Crownguard. I'm so sorry."

"What? What!?" She kept repeating, her mouth open wide.

"That is all. Please continue and have a nice day." He muttered before bowing curtly and walking away. Her brother stood there, both of them watching the prince leave before the truth settled in.

"This is your doing, isn't it, Garen!?" She yelled again, balling her hands into fists and pummelling her brother's armour. He gently pulled her away by her wrists, a shit eating grin on his face as he watched her struggle.

"Didn't you hear? You're a traitor, you don't deserve to be Demacian anymore. Actually, we're not even related anymore. Please refrain from any interaction outside from the matches, please."

"What the fuck are you saying?"

"I didn't know you were this stupid, Luxanna. What don't you understand? The word 'expelled'?"

"What did you do?" She squinted her eyes at him, trying to hide the disgust that his smirking face was causing her.

" _I_ did nothing. You did this to yourself." He snarled, finally releasing her wrists with a bit too much force, forcing her to loose balance. "When you betray your country, don't expect nothing to happen."

"You spoke to Mum and Dad, didn't you?"

"They would've found out anyway. I just thought they'd prefer to hear it from me than from some random person."

"You told them to disown me, didn't you?"

"I _might_ have suggested the idea." He shrugged, as if it wasn't his problem. "It's not like you don't deserve it."

"You know what, Garen? We might not be brother and sister anymore but there's always something we will be."

"Yes?" He asked, uninterested.

"Siblings in sin." And with that, she turned around and walked away, trying to stop the tears that were about to fall down her cheeks.

* * *

"I can't believe this!" She screamed when she opened the door to their place, ready to explode. Darius was watching her from the sofa as he calmly read a book. He was expecting something like this to happen since she'd gone out to confront her brother.

"What a fucking twat he is!" She was enraged, her face red and her fists trembling as she stopped herself from punching something.

"So, he's behind it, then?" Darius asked, putting the book down and raising an eyebrow.

"He badmouthed me to our parents and I would go as far as saying that he cornered them into disowning me. I'm sure of it! But do you know what else he's behind of? I've been expelled from Demacia. I have no nationality, no home, no family… This is absurd!"

"About that." He muttered, getting up and circling her with his hands, trying to comfort her. "I thought something like this would happen so I sent a letter to Noxus, asking about the possibility of you becoming a Noxian citizen."

"You did!?" She pulled away, amazed by his thinking ahead. He nodded, brushing a hand over her cheek in encouragement.

"You're a powerful mage, so I thought I might even be able to pull some strings and get you a position in the military."

"Oh, Darius!" She squealed, jumping up and putting her arms around his neck. He rested his hands on her waist, pulling her towards him.

"We could be together, you know. And if this escalates, we'd fight side by side."

"I'd like that." She muttered into his neck, taking in his scent, a tired smile forming as she sniffed him. "I'd like that very much. Fuck Demacia. I want to be Noxian."

"I also requested Ethanial to become Noxian. I mean, it only makes sense that he should be, if both his parents…" She shut him up with a kiss.

"Even with all the shit that's happened, I don't remember the last time I was this happy." She whispered.

"Me neither." Came his response as he embraced her tightly. They both melted into the hug, not caring how much time passed as they both enjoyed the feeling.

* * *

"Darius!" Ethanial stormed in.

The man looked up from his book, an eyebrow raised as he patiently waited for the boy to continue.

"Teach me about strategy."

* * *

A few days later

Ethanial straightened his white shirt. He liked this suit, even though there was a certain ring to 'The Dark Light Child' that came with the other that made his knees weak. He entered the room where all the other champions were gathered. He scanned the room, looking out for who would be facing him in lane. He would be mid again, this time against Syndra, who he'd never battled before. They were separated into teams and he found that his uncle would be playing top.

Garen walked over to him and put his hand on top of Ethanial's head, to ruffle his hair. The boy shoved his arm away and scowled at him, his brow creased as he stared into his uncle's blue eyes.

'He looks so much like Darius right now.' The Might of Demacia realised, taking a step back in surprise, his hand retreating back to his side.

"Don't touch me." The boy spat, defiantly looking at him.

They silently watched each other until Garen looked away, uncomfortable.

"I was just trying to mend bonds." He whispered, a tone of sadness tainting his voice.

"It's too fucking late for that." Ethanial muttered, his face plainly showing the disgust he felt.

"I'm sorry you feel that way."

"I'm sorry you don't love me anymore." He snarled, his fists clenching defensively.

"It's not that I don't _love you_ , it's because that man's blood…" Garen started but the teen stopped him mid-sentence by bearing his teeth and nearly hissing at the man.

"But what? I'm still me! I am the same man as I was before you knew all of this. Before I knew."

"That's cute, he's calling himself a man." The enemy's Vladimir said, chuckling lightly.

"Of course I'm a man!" Ethanial growled, turning around to face the champion that had just laughed in his face.

"You're a boy." The other responded with a deadpan face.

"Stop picking on the poor child!" Janna said, putting her hand on Ethanial's head and ruffling his hair lovingly. "Stop giving him such a hard time."

"I'm not a kid!" The teen pulled away, irritated.

"My, my, what a temper this child has." Vladimir tut-tutted, a thinly veiled smug smile spreading on his lips.

Ethanial turned around, irritated. He tried to stop himself from hissing in anger as he prepared for the upcoming battle. But as he walked away he could still listen to the Crimson Reaper's dry laughter, and something about it unsettled him deeply.

* * *

After the match ended and Ethanial was ready to change clothes and head back home, he was stopped by a gentle hand on his shoulder. Before he turned around he heard an ice cold voice whisper in his ear.

"You're everything that's wrong with this world. The love child of two people who should have never even glanced at each other and you are stupid enough to run your mouth about it." The boy recognised Vladimir and a chill went down his spine. He felt the urge to curl his fingers into a fist to stop them from trembling like they were doing. There were words he was trying to say, but he found his mouth dry as a cold hand brushed his neck.

"You're a useless, stupid, pathetic runt who should've never even existed. Don't forget your place." And with that the powerful mage was gone, and soon after Ethanial stopped feeling his presence, he noticed his blood started to rush back. He didn't want to turn back to look at him, not even to see if it had been the man's magic that had made him feel that way.

All he could think about was how no one really wanted him alive and how the world was better off if he hadn't been born.

* * *

A letter addressed to the General arrived and the man asked Lux if she wanted to read it together or if she wanted him to do it first. She was nervous, knowing that if she was rejected she'd be in a very weird position and would not know what to do after.

"Together." She muttered, her hands reaching out to grab the envelope and opening it slowly. She took out the papers and unfolded them, and before she started reading, she looked into his eyes for reassurance.

He squeezed her free hand and she sighed, calming down. She read the letter once, then had to do it again.

"I'm… I'm a Noxian. I'm officially a Noxian citizen!" She screamed in delight, reading it a third time. "And so is Ethanial! Oh my god, there's so much to do! Paperwork and the like! Does this mean I get to represent Noxus?"

"Yes, you both do, once everything is sorted out. I'm going to need your birth certificates and a few other things. Have your parents send over yours, please. I… I've given my home address as yours."

"What?"

"In Noxus. It's sort of… your house, too. I mean, it's a bit unkempt but it's big enough for the three of us."

"Oh, that's great! I want to go visit it whenever we can! I can't wait to tell Ethanial!" She smiled, her hands covering her mouth. Tears were threatening to fall, but she managed to stop them.

Darius's heart swelled seeing her this happy. He couldn't help himself and reached out for her, grabbing her by her arm and pulling her towards his body. He crushed his lips against hers and before she knew it, he'd set her on the table and leaned in, a hand at each side of her head and a naughty smile on their faces.

She was blushing, from the excitement and maybe from the bold move he'd just pulled. She laughed and the sound was like music to his ears, his heart beating faster than he thought was possible, knowing she was happy because of him. She was happy with him.

He kissed her again, his teeth nipping her lower lip gently and his tongue entering her mouth as she gasped. It was slow and passionate and the only thing that interrupted it was the thrust he made with his hips to shove her further against the table. She gladly complied, opening her legs and wrapping them around his waist, forcing the bulge that was forming in his trousers to press against her clothed woman parts. A breath was caught in his throat as she moved her hips, the friction nearly being too much for both of them.

Finally. Finally after so many years their love was free. It would still be frowned upon by some people, but now they were together, they liked it or not. And they could do everything they'd always wanted to do. Like make out on the table, and Hell, who knows? Maybe fuck there, too.

Darius's mind started wandering as he kissed Lux, pants coming out of their mouths from time to time, as their intertwining tongues didn't give them a break. They were nearly too far gone when they heard the door slam and they quickly pulled apart, both of them still breathless and agitated. He quickly helped her to the floor and she shook her clothes, trying to act as if nothing had happened.

Ethanial wasn't stupid, though. He eyed them suspiciously up and down as he entered the room and ignored them, going directly to the kitchen. He knew what they'd been up to, and somehow, he didn't like it one bit. He couldn't even give a reason why, it was just something in the back of his mind that nagged at him, apart from the act in itself making him feel a bit disgusted.

"Sweetie." He heard Lux call for him, and he turned to look at her as she stood by the kitchen door, her face still red.

"Yeah?" He asked lazily, inserting a straw in the juice he'd grabbed from the fridge and averting his eyes from his mother. It was uncomfortable for him, and he feared what she was about to say next. Something about him interrupting them? He hoped she wouldn't talk about something like that. His mother had never spoken to him about sex and he was pleading she wouldn't start now.

"I've got great news!" She smiled. "You're a Noxian citizen!"

"WHAT?" His eyes narrowed and he stared at her in anger and disgust. "Why!?"

"What do you mean why? You need a nationality to represent the League. It's compulsory."

"But why Noxus!? I don't _feel_ Noxian." It's not like he felt he belonged anywhere, but somehow the place his mother had suggested just seemed wrong. Maybe he just hadn't given it a thought before. He'd been born in the Institute and had never been given a nationality. It hadn't been something they'd ever discussed before and now his mother had gone and decided it for him.

"Both your parents are Noxians, honey, it's only natural that you are one too."

"You're… you're Noxian!?"

"Maybe I should've started with that." She sighed. Darius entered the kitchen and had a good look at both of them.

"Just tell him everything." He offered, grabbing a glass and pouring water in it. "If you don't, I will. He has a right to know."

"What are you talking about?" Ethanial groaned, growing annoyed. "Just spit it out already, what happened?"

"I think we should sit down." Lux said, guiding her son to the living room and sitting on the sofa. He hesitated, before slumping on the settee, away from her.

"Well?" He asked, a slight snarky tone in his voice as he did. She chose to ignore him, telling herself he was just annoyed by the sudden news.

"I received a letter from my parents. They disowned me, which means… so are you, in a way."

"Like that matters." He snorted. "It's not like we ever spoke about this. I'm still wondering what my surname would have been."

"Ethanial, this is not a conversation for now."

"Why not? I have a lot of questions, you know. Will you never let me ask them, I wonder?"

"Just go ahead and ask." Darius growled, appearing with a glass of water for Lux, placing it in front of her.

"Did Ezreal know about Darius being my dad?" Ethanial asked, his eyes boring into his mother's. "I assume he didn't? He seemed pretty shaken on the train."

"He… did not." Lux muttered.

"I guessed as much. So now for the important question. Did he think I was his kid? Biologically speaking, obviously."

"No, he knew he wasn't the father."

"What did you tell him? Why did he agree?"

"I lied to him." Lux sighed, looking at her hands.

"Why?" Ethanial growled, leaning in.

"There's some things you need to understand. I was pregnant and I didn't want to be alone and…"

"So you lied to some poor guy who had a thing for you." The boy finished the sentence for her.

"It's more complicated than that." She started but he stopped her.

"But it basically goes down to that." He lifted his eyebrows, waiting for her counterattack.

"If you'd been in my position, you…"

"You have no idea what I would've done. But trust me, I wouldn't have abused someone else's feelings for my own gain."

"You're 15! Don't act like you know everything!" She lost her cool, raising her voice just a little tiny bit. Darius watched the two of them argue, his eyes darting from one to the other, a spark of amusement in them.

"Yeah, I'm a teenager, so that makes me stupid!" He growled, his fists clenching.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. You're still too young to understand the world or why other people do the things that they do. I did what I did for you, Ethanial. I wanted what was best for you. Revealing the truth at the time could have possibly gotten you killed. Now you are protected by the Institute and the League, but no one cares about an unborn baby!"

"That's the stupidest thing I've heard today. And I heard my team complaining about Lucian tower diving at level 3 and refusing to ward."

"Will you shut up and listen!? Everything I've done, I've done for you! And you're not even grateful."

"Why would I be _grateful_? You've ruined Ezreal's life! And look what I am!" The last sentence came out as a sob. He sniffled as he tried to come up with the appropriate words. "I'm just a runt that no one wants! WHY WAS I EVEN BORN?"

He got up and was about to run away when Lux caught him, turned him around and hugged him tightly. She was just slightly taller than him, and he buried his face into her neck, everything he'd seen and said long forgotten as he let himself cry in his mother's embrace.

"I want you, baby." She whispered into his hair. "I'll never regret the fact that you were born. You're my beautiful, intelligent baby and I really love you. And so does your dad and even Ezreal. You're not a runt, don't let what other people tell you get to you. They don't know anything. You are wanted, okay?"

Ethanial sobbed as Lux turned and shot a look at Darius, urging him to say something that would help. The General got up and pulled the boy away from his mother to pat him gently on his head.

"I've already told you this. I've always wanted a son, so that makes you everything I've ever wanted. I'm proud of you, son."

Hearing the man say that last word forced new tears to roll down his cheeks. Lux hugged him again, before letting him sit down on the sofa.

"Ok, we'll calm down. We need to talk. You need to tell me what's wrong."

"Ezreal's left." He whimpered.

"He'll be back." She tried to smile at him, but she could only think about the tongue lashing she was going to give the explorer when he came back.

"Did you talk to him about my future? What my surname and nationality would be?"

"You were going to adopt my surname, sweetie. But now I guess you can choose."

"I… just want to be Ethanial for now." He spoke, rubbing his eyes gently, finally calm enough to have a decent conversation again. "I need to speak to him."

"About what?" Darius asked, mildly interested.

"Everything. I need to know how he feels."

"You still resent us." The General said. It sounded like a question but it was just a statement.

"Yes. I don't think that's ever going to change." Ethanial frowned, looking into both of their eyes.

"What's happened, happened." Darius muttered, crossing his legs and leaning back.

"Ethanial… I'm sorry you feel that way…" Lux started but the boy sighed, stopping her.

"You don't need to tell me. You need to tell him."

"I'm giving him some time, he needs it."

"He's left, mother!" He accidentally raised his voice again, his brow furrowing some more. "What if he never comes back!?"

"He will come back."

"And why did he leave with Candella? Why did he leave me behind? Does he… has he… stopped caring for me?"

Lux was about to comfort him when Darius stepped in.

"You'll have to ask him that yourself." He shrugged, brushing it off. "But now I think we should focus on what Lux needs to tell you."

"Sweetie, don't get upset but Garen convinced my parents to disown me."

"HE WHAT!?" Ethanial shouted in a rage, his mind filling with the memory of his grandparents, when he'd gone to see them in Demacia. They were kind, elderly people, and that harsh action seemed like something they'd never do, even if their child had had a kid with their country's mortal enemy. The only way it made sense was thinking that Garen had had something to do with it, but it wasn't something he wanted to admit. Sure, his uncle had overreacted when he'd been told about Ethanial, but to think he'd be capable of breaking apart his own family just to take revenge!?

"And… I've been expelled from Demacia. I'm a traitor in their eyes and that's why we got Noxian nationality."

"Why would you be expelled from Demacia? That's just ridiculous."

"Prince Jarvan said so himself."

"And Garen is a close friend of his." Ethanial muttered, turning away in disgust. "So this makes me Noxian. I get to represent Noxus in the League, right?"

"That's correct." Darius said, looking at his son expectantly. "Is there still a problem?"

"I'm not happy you made this decision without me. You never take into consideration what I want." The boy growled. "But I guess there was no other way."

His head was spinning. He'd had an awful day. The matches had been disastrous. He'd lost three in a row, and one of the times he'd had to play support and had got constantly flamed by Varus, who kept complaining about his lack of warding and skill in general. And now, this. A bitter reminder of what he'd been trying to forget ever since he'd found out about Darius. Well, he was partially at fault and it looked like he was paying for his honest mistake tenfold, but it seemed too much.

"I'm tired." Ethanial whined, closing his eyes and holding his head in his hands.

"How were your matches?" Lux asked, trying to cheer him up. She was concerned about what her son had slipped out previously.

"Awful. Just plain shitty." He growled, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"Did my advice help?" Darius asked, his voice low.

"A bit." The boy answered half-truthfully, not wanting to admit that he'd improved tremendously ever since he'd been taught by his father.

"I waited for you to play your first match knowing you wouldn't listen otherwise. If you need more advice, just ask. We also have to talk about those adult topics."

"Uuuuggggghhhh." Ethanial groaned, throwing his head back.

"Adult topics?" Lux asked, raising an eyebrow.

The boy tuned out his parents' conversation as he got dragged in by his own thoughts. So he was Noxian now. Huh. It felt so strange. But honestly, the past week just felt like a dream to him. More like a nightmare, actually. From having a normal, happy family to it being his fault that the truth slipped out, getting fucking kidnapped, having magical powers, starting fighting in the League, everything he knew being a lie, and now, accepting he was Noxian. All in… a week? A week and a half? Like everyday he'd have to discover the next fucked up piece of what was his life.

And that conversation he'd had with Garen. And the one-sided one he'd had with Vladimir. It sent shivers down his spine again just thinking about it.

* * *

"I'm so fucking hungry!" Ekko grinned, pilling food on top of his tray and watching as Ethanial sluggishly trailed behind him. "I seriously don't know how I make it with only three meals a day."

"I don't know how you stay so freakishly thin."

"You sound like a fucking girl. Are you just envious of my lovely metabolism? I'm a growing boy, you know!"

The other shot him a look and the older knew he'd somehow stepped on some line. He frowned as they walked over to a table and sat down, starting their lunches in silence.

"Hey what's up, Ethanial?" Ekko smiled, giving the other boy a gentle shove with his fist. "You upset 'cause I called you a girl?"

"You didn't call me a girl. And so fucking what if we have different metabolisms. I don't care."

"Why are you upset, then?"

"It's just… I realised I'm never going to grow."

"Look, we've been over this already, I'm just taller than you because I'm older, okay?"

"It's not that!"

"I don't understand then."

"I _know_ you don't."

"Hey, hey, calm down. Just explain yourself and we can have a decent conversation." Ekko stuffed a forkful of food into his mouth. "Oh, wow, this tastes fucking delicious."

"Well, I realised I'm stuck. I'm never going to grow anymore. I'm going to be fifteen forever."

"Oh." The other teen finished another mouthful of food before smiling at his friend. "Yeah, I get you now. I went over something similar when I first joined the League."

"You did?"

"Of course. It's pretty shocking to think you'll be like this permanently. We're used to growing and constant change, so thinking it stops, is a little… But! The only thing that really doesn't change is your age and appearance. Your personality differs and you grow more mature, you learn things. It's basically a win-win situation."

"But I'm a _kid_."

"Being a kid is the best!" Ekko grinned. "Hey, are you going to eat that?"

Ethanial shoved his tray over to his friend to pick out the things he hadn't finished eating.

"No it isn't. The adults don't see me like equals."

"Because adults are stupid. You said so the other day, didn't you?"

"Yeah, and I still think that's true, it's just…!"

"Then who wants to be an adult anyway? Hey, what's up? You normally eat way more food than this. Don't you like it?"

"I'm just not hungry today."

Ekko frowned. He knew his friend was upset and that was why he didn't seem to have an appetite. Normally they'd both eat a lot, and while The Boy Who Shuttered Time didn't gain any weight, Ethanial's body had grown in muscle. Maybe the magic used to stop his growing had actually affected him in ways he didn't understand. Maybe he needed time to adjust to it and he was feeling a bit weird.

The boy from Zaun stopped to look carefully at his friend. He'd actually gotten a lot stronger, he could tell. Six months ago he would've beaten the shit out of the Noxian at arm wrestling but he knew now that he didn't stand a chance. Darius's training had been something.

"And anyway, we're not kids. We're teenagers!" He said, trying to cheer Ethanial up.

"I fail to see the difference." The Noxian boy sulked, getting up. "Well, I've finished."

"Yeah, I'm done too. Let's go take a walk somewhere. But seriously now, listen to me, teenage is the best age and I can prove it to you."

"I'm listening."

"Well, you're complaining about not wanting to be a kid or an adult. That's exactly what a teenager is! You're not a kid and you're not an adult."

"So basically I'm somewhere in between, which makes it even more confusing?"

"You're not oblivious like a kid, yet you get to do stuff kids do. You have responsibilities like an adult but you don't get treated like one. Okay, okay, let me give you an example." Ekko grinned, walking around the Institute halls, the other following closely behind, still sulking.

"So, remember what I told you about Miss Fortune giving me alcohol and stuff?"

"Like I'd forget."

"Okay, imagine someone… uh… the League Tribunal finding out about it. Who do you think would get in trouble?"

"Uh…"

"Miss Fortune! Because she's the adult. She's supposed to be the responsible one, in charge of making the decisions. And that's why it's soooo cool to be a teen."

"I guess you're… right?"

"Of course I am!" Ekko started laughing. "Now let's go do something fun. Let's go spit at people from the balcony!"

"That sounds awesome!" Ethanial said, watching as his friend ran to the stairs and following him, his mood much better.


	11. Chapter 11

**Guess who's back? Back again? Ethanial's back! Tell a friend. Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back...**

 **Hi! That is correct, I am _not_ the one who's back. Still on a semi-hiatus and right now my life is pretty much... a mess. So, when will the next chapter come out? Who knows?** **I am obliged to apologize for my lack of content but my situation right now is kinda tricky and I _fucking hate editing_.**

 **Anyway, this chapter amuses me. And I hope you enjoy it too and it somewhat entertains you as well. But remember, more is yet to come! This isn't even close to finishing (be it a good or bad thing).  
**

 **Thank you very much for the reviews, follows and favourites. And for reading so far on. I really appreciate it all. You have no idea how elated your reviews actually make me feel, especially when I've had a shitty day. 'Nuff excuses, I'll let you get on with reading.**

* * *

Chapter 11

"Now that we've been over alcohol, we're going to talk about sex." Darius muttered, turning around and walking away to grab something from his room.

Ethanial groaned, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance as he watched the man return, something in his hands. He tossed whatever it was onto the table in front of the boy and the teen stared into a box of condoms, his lip twitching.

"What…" He wanted to say something but instead looked over at the General, who sat in his usual spot, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Do you know what these are?" He asked his son.

"Yeah, do you?" Ethanial snarled back at him, implying that that's what they should've worn so they wouldn't be in this mess.

"Condoms break, you know?" Darius growled back, leaning in slightly. He'd understood the full meaning behind his son's words and was a bit pissed off about it. It's not like they'd thought about protection. The Noxian had thought that because they'd stopped aging, their reproductive system had been put on pause too. Boy, had he'd been wrong. He was no expert in sex education, but that's the only way it made sense. That or thinking that someday, Lux would have to go through some sort of menopause, right? He sighed and continued lecturing his son. "All the more reason to learn how to put them on."

"Why bother learning?" Ethanial spat, crossing his own arms. "It's not like there's anyone my age here."

"But there might be someday." Darius sighed, giving the box a nudge, so it was closer to the boy. "Who knows what's going to happen. Learn, just in case."

The teenager looked at his father as he got up and walked to the kitchen.

"Get one out, come on."

"I refuse to do this with you!" He growled. "I'm not showing you my-!"

He was cut off as the General walked in with a cucumber.

"We're going to practise with this."

"Oh."

"C'mon, get it out, I don't have all day."

"I still see no point in learning." Ethanial huffed, hoping that if he was stubborn enough the man would eventually give up.

"Do you know what groupies are?" The man asked him, his eyes set on his.

"Yeah…?"

"That's why I want you to learn."

"Why would women bother with a boy like me?" He growled, but his hands moved to the box and he got out a few of the condoms, looking over them.

"You know there are girls your age outside the Institute, right?" Darius sighed,

"It's not like I'll have a chance to _meet_ any of them."

"You really have no idea about the world. Anyway, tear the wrapper off. Don't use your teeth."

"Why not?"

"You might pierce the condom that way, and that makes it useless."

"I get it, I get it." He fumbled with one of the small packets before he managed to get the slippery thing out. "Ew."

"Calm down, it's just lube. It's used for-!"

"I KNOW WHAT IT'S USED FOR!" Ethanial yelled, his face red as he grabbed the cucumber and looked up timidly at his father with an object in each hand. "Now what?"

"You've got to find the head. It's got a little tip for the semen to accumulate when you ejaculate."

"This?"

"Okay, so this is the crucial part, okay? Listen, you've got to put it on the right way up."

"How could I possibly fucking fail?"

"Could you be serious for a minute?"

"I am being serious! Look, it's the right way up, I don't have it mixed up, I'm not a moron."

"You don't have to be a moron to make a simple mistake. Good, now grab the tip with your finger and your thumb. Place it on the head of the cucumber."

Ethanial struggled a bit before he'd succeeded to do it properly. But once it was on, he looked at his father.

"Good. Now, don't stop holding the tip, okay? Pull the condom down, until the base."

"Like this?"

"Yes! Look, you've done it!"

"That's it? That wasn't hard."

"Now do it again. Wait, first take it off carefully. Use your imagination and think of a way to take it off without making a mess."

"There is no mess."

"I said use your imagination. There will be some day."

"There, done."

"Do it again. Walk me through it this time."

"Alright, alright. Grab the condom, open it without using teeth, look for the right way up. Here it is, found it. Grab the tip with my two fingers and put in on. Don't stop holding it while I slide it all the way on."

"Nice, you're a quick learner."

"Are we done now?" Ethanial sighed, still frustrated.

"You know, condoms aren't just for preventing pregnancies." Darius muttered. "They're there to prevent you from catching sexually transmitted diseases. So, you know, use one even in homosexual relationships."

"WHAT?" The boy gasped, nearly dropping the cucumber. "What are you implying?"

"I'm not implying anything, I'm teaching you."

"That _did not_ sound like teaching!"

"Just, whatever you do, put a condom on, okay?"

* * *

"I think Darius thinks I'm gay." Ethanial muttered. Ekko looked at him, and confirming his friend was being serious he burst out laughing.

"Oh my God! Why? What made you think that?"

"He told me to use a condom in my homosexual relationships!" The boy slapped his face as the other continued laughing. "Shut up, it's _not_ funny!"

"It is! It's fucking hilarious. But more than him thinking you're gay, I think it's more of him worried, trying to do the right thing, y'know? A just in case scenario?"

"I'm pretty sure he thinks I've got the hots for you."

"Do you?"

"Shut up!"

"Oh come on! Lighten up! I don't think he thinks you're gay. I think it's more of a… we're in the age and things might happen?"

"WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN?"

"Relax! I'm not implying anything! You're young, you might just want to experiment."

"Do _you_ want to experiment?"

"I do wanna do stuff, yeah. But not with you _or_ other men, so calm your head."

Ethanial silently fumed as Ekko looked him up and down, trying to stop himself from giggling.

"So, how did you get to that conversation with him?"

"He decided I needed _the_ sex talk."

"Oh, wow. How did it go? Did _not_ expect that from Darius."

"He showed me how to put a condom on. And told me to be careful, that kind of stuff."

"I was actually going to do that." Ekko muttered, looking off into the distance.

"What?"

"Well, it's a bit more complicated I guess? Back when I was into Jinx… I'm talking about a year ago, something like that? Yeah, you were fourteen. Okay, so I went to the pharmacy, you know, where Janna works. And I bought some condoms because I was hoping to get lucky with Jinx. I had kinda asked her out and we-"

"You had kinda asked her out?" Ethanial raised an eyebrow. "Slow down, I think you're skipping way too many important details."

"So I asked Jinx out on a date. Happy now? And she'd said yes but her idea of a date and my idea of a date are a bit… different. Well, whatever, I bought the condoms hoping that I'd score. So when I went to pay for them, Janna was there with that lovely smile of hers and she asked me if I had a girlfriend and I kinda… couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth so I just said I was going to teach you how to wear one just in case and she was delighted so, uhm, yeah."

"That… what. Did you use me to flirt?"

"I wasn't flirting! I was just embarrassed. And I never got to use them with Jinx so I thought 'hey, why waste them?' and thought that teaching you wasn't a bad idea but I never got round to do it."

"You so used me to flirt."

"Did not! It was an honest thought I had at the time."

"So what happened on that date with Jinx?"

"It wasn't so much a date as it was her trying to vandalize the Institute."

"Oh I remember that! You were behind it, too?"

"I, well… I might have helped? I mean, it was a lot of fun painting everything pink."

"And you didn't tell me!?"

"I was sure you'd run your mouth! I'm telling you now so don't get so pissy. I had a lot of fun and tried to kiss her but she sort of… There is no way I can describe this without you fucking laughing in my face."

"What did she do, Ekko? Or what did you do?"

"I playfully slammed her against the wall and she just smirked at me so I just kinda thought it was the mood, y'know? Like it was her inviting me to do it. So I leaned in and closed my eyes and she… shoved the paint can against my mouth and started running away, laughing. That was my wake up call. I thought she couldn't have possible misread my actions and that was her way of saying 'not interested' and I gave up on her."

"So you decided to crush on Janna instead."

"I didn't decide anything! She has the most beautiful smile ever and just happens to be very comforting and nice every time I visit the pharmacy when I pretend to be sick."

"Are you going to ask Janna out on a date?"

"Might do, some day. When I think we're close enough."

"Close enough?"

"Yeah, I'm still working on it. We're gradually becoming friends. I ain't gonna push it. Now," he grabbed Ethanial and pulled him into a tight hug with one arm. "About that conversation with Darius…"

"Shut up!"

"Nu-uh! I wanna hear more! What else did he say?"

"I'm not telling you! You just wanna have a laugh at my expense!" The Light's Child pushed him away gently, which started a shoving match.

"You're my friend! You're _supposed_ to tell me!"

"Not if you're gonna make fun of me!"

"Oh, c'mon dude. I'd tell you about it."

"You're such a _liar_!" Both of them burst into laughter, and somehow the conversation died out as the pushing got more intense.

* * *

Ezreal and Candella walked into the Institute gardens looking scruffy and dirty, but extremely happy. Not even the presence of Draven flirting with Irelia was enough to put a damper on the explorer's day.

"We're back!" He cheered, his eyes twinkling.

"You were gone?" The Noxian man answered, clearly confused. He turned to look at them, raising an eyebrow.

Ezreal watched as Irelia got away in relief before looking back at Draven, who seemed very interested in his daughter.

"Oh, my niece made it back alright!" He smiled at her.

"Draven, Candella isn't related to you by blood." The explorer sighed, rolling his eyes.

"She's not? Oh, good. Call me when you're 18, honey."

"I'll gut you."

"Hey, no reason to be so harsh! Whoa! What the fuck happened to your face?"

"My face?" Ezreal raised an eyebrow, incredulous. He lifted a hand to touch his features and his hands grazed over the slight stubble that had appeared in the two weeks he'd been away.

"Is that supposed to be a beard!?" Draven laughed, almost wheezing. "Oh my God, you can't even grow facial hair, that's hilarious!"

* * *

After she'd heard the news of his return, she went after him to confront him.

"You took Candella with you without telling me!" Lux screamed, her face red in anger.

Ezreal slowly turned around, sighing. He knew he'd eventually have to deal with her.

"Of course I did. She's my daughter, I get to take her out on adventures."

"It's fucking dangerous out! Especially for her! What were you thinking!?"

"She can take care of herself perfectly well, stop fucking mothering her! And even if she couldn't, I can! She should get out and see the world! She's not gonna learn any other way!"

"You fucking just took my child without my permission!"

"Because you would've said no! And since when do _you_ care about permission? It's done already, Lux. And surprise, surprise, nothing fucking happened. Why the fuck are you even screaming at me in the first place?"

"Because you left without warning me and taking her!"

"Like you care what I do. The first conversation we have after all that's happened and it's you telling me off. What a fucking surprise."

"Well, if you hadn't left we could've talked this over."

"No, don't you dare pin this on me! You had plenty of chances, you just didn't care!"

"Ezreal…"

"And don't 'Ezreal' me! You're doing all of this back to front. I try to get something good out of my disastrous life and you fucking scream at me. And what the fuck is this I've heard that you made Ethanial Noxian!?"

"Ethanial's Noxian! What of it?"

"How dare you change the nationality of my child without my permission? See what you've done there? You don't give a fuck about permission!"

"He's not your child!"

"Oh yes he is. I took care of him his whole childhood. Hell, I was there for him even more than you because you were too busy fucking some Noxian thug."

"HOW DARE YOU?" She screamed, about to slap him but he was quicker, grabbing her wrist and moving it away from his face.

"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" He spat, his voice filled with hatred.

"Don't you dare speak of me and my family like that!" She snarled, bearing her teeth at him.

"Or what? You'll take my children away from me? You'll walk out on me? You'll spit on my love? YOU'VE ALREADY DONE EVERYTHING THAT COULD HURT ME, LUX."

She was stunned into silence, her mouth forming a cute little 'o' at his words. Her eyebrows raised before finally forming a frown. She pulled herself away from him and they both took a step back, scared that the other would resort to physical violence.

"And I'm not family anymore, right?" He growled. "But Darius is? What twisted and fucked up notion do you have of a family? I'm Candella's father!"

Lux started sobbing, which took Ezreal by surprise. He was instinctively drawn to protect her, to put his arms around her and comfort her, but he resisted, trying to keep the same deadpan look on his face.

"My own fucking brother told on me to my parents and they disowned me! So, yeah, I do have a fucked up family, thanks for asking! That's why I had no other choice but to become Noxian and make Ethanial a Noxian too."

"Well, Garen's a cunt. And a fucking hypocrite as well. But there were other ways out, Lux. Why didn't you think this through?"

"I did think it over! And this is what I want. I wanted to become part of a place that would accept me for who I am. And Noxus did. They welcomed me in with open arms, not caring about my past life or mistakes. I'm glad I'm Noxian. I'm glad Ethanial is too. For once he has an origin, somewhere he can call home."

"He did anyway, Lux! Home is where your heart is, not some stupid nationality."

"He didn't have an identity, Ezreal. And now he has. Everything worked out for the better."

"This is ridiculous. I don't think I can stand hearing you spout out such stupid things any longer. Everything you're saying is wrong. Did you even bother to ask Ethanial what _he_ wanted?"

Her lip trembled for a second and the explorer knew he'd hit the jackpot. He rolled his eyes and sighed, crossing his arms over his chest again.

"So, now what?" He asked after a long silence.

"I'm not changing our nationalities. We don't belong in Demacia."

"Not that. Our living arrangements. Because, here's the thing: whether you like it or not, we share a child. And before you go batshit insane on me, I'm talking about Candella, not Ethanial. Seems there's nothing I can do to about him."

"Darius, Ethanial and I are currently living in an apartment together. We've discussed this already and want you to live with us."

"Like Hell I'll do that. So I can _watch you_ fuck him? How stupid do you think I am? How fucking delusional are _you_? You think we could all pretend to be some fucking happy family? Well, reality check: that's never going to happen. You screwed up my life. And nothing you ever say or do is going to make up for that."

"Ezreal, listen…"

"No, _you_ listen. You've decided what you wanted. You want him. I don't care if you start spouting your usual 'I want you, Ezreal' nonsense, I'm not going to buy it." He snapped at her. She almost giggled when he'd imitated her voice in a falsetto halfway through his rant. "You've robbed me of enough happiness and I'm not going to play into your hand anymore."

"That's not what I want!" She sighed, defeated. "Look, I want us all to live together because I think it's the better living arrangement. We all get to take care of the kids together."

"They're not five anymore, Lux. They don't need all that much taking care of."

"Look who's spouting nonsense now. Sure, you don't have to fucking change any nappies, but we still have to teach them things and discipline them."

"And I've already told you I don't want to live with you or that… man." Ezreal had bitten his tongue to stop himself from calling Darius something that would set off Lux.

"So, what do you suggest? I can't think of something that would make everyone happy!"

"Because there is no such thing." The explorer grumbled, running a shaking hand through his hair.

"Ezreal, please. At least try it, first. You don't know Darius, he's a lovely man, I think you'll like him."

"I've always thought I was some kind of masochist, you know? I mean, all those years, I could tell something was off. I wasn't sure what, and I would have never guessed that it was this, but… I couldn't help but think something was up. But I still stayed with you, despite my doubts, despite how much you hurt me on a daily basis. But there's a limit even to my own masochism. And it's this. I'm done sacrificing my happiness for you."

He paused and looked at her. She could see the pain in his eyes, noticed the lingering doubt in his features. He fumbled for words and when he found nothing more he wanted to say, turned around and started walking away.

"Ezreal, wait! What are we going to do then?" She started following him.

"Beats me!" He answered back, not bothering to turn to look at her. "Why not ask the kids what they want? Or why don't you do like you always do and just do what you want to do?"

Lux stopped in her tracks, watching the back of the blond explorer as he walked away, making her feel empty all of a sudden. She raised a hand slowly, as if she was about to go after him and grab him by his shirt, but thought about it and let her arm fall limply to her side.

* * *

"Ezreal?" Ethanial knocked on the door of the apartment he used to call his home. He'd already looked everywhere else for the explorer and was about to lose hope when the blond finally answered.

"Ethanial?" He asked, confused, when he saw the boy fidgeting in the entrance. "Come in, I guess. What's the matter?"

"I want to live with you." He muttered, looking down at the ground, dragging his foot lazily against the floor as he spoke.

"Ah, sure? But, why?"

"I hate it with Darius and Lux." Ethanial frowned, clearly unhappy. "And… I've missed you, dad."

The way his son still called him his father made the explorer's heart skip a beat.

"Sure, you can live with me." He breathed in heavily, running a hand through his blond locks, before smiling, unexpectedly happy and, for some reason, relieved. "I'd love it, actually. Have you got your stuff?"

The younger one hesitated, before throwing himself at the blond, hugging him, holding himself back from crying.

"I thought you wouldn't come back! I thought you'd left me forever!"

"Oh, Ethanial, I would never do that. I love you."

"I love you too, dad."

* * *

A few days later

Ezreal watched Ethanial's daily rutine from the kitchen counter every day. The boy woke up in a bad mood, barely had any breakfast and left for his matches. He came back, beaten up and in an even worse mood, barely spoke to the explorer and went back to his room, to do whatever it was he was doing in there. The blond wasn't sure the kid was sleeping as much as he made it look like he was, since he'd noted the dark circles around the boy's eyes. Until one day curiosity got the best of him and he decided to take action.

"So, Ethanial, I want to speak to you." Ezreal knocked on the boy's room and entered, a mug of coffee in his hands.

"What is it?" The other growled, a bit miffed that he was being annoyed that early in the morning. The older teenager walked over to his bed and sat on it.

"I've noticed you've been a bit… weird lately. I know it's normal with everything that's going on but… I'm just here if you want to talk to me about it." The explorer offered, smiling at the grumpy kid who was still in his bed.

"Ugh, Ezreal, it's too early…" He groaned, tucking himself and closing his eyes.

"I don't get too many chances to speak with you, Ethanial. With all your matches and how busy we both are. Are they too much for you? Is that it?"

"No, I'm handling those fine. Everyone's being very supportive."

"So, what's wrong? Are you still upset with Lux? With this whole situation?"

"Yes, but it's not that either. I mean… I…"

"I'm listening."

"I've been feeling this weird sensation lately…" The boy started, blushing. Then he stopped himself. It wasn't something he could really tell Ezreal. It was something incredibly embarrassing and… well… difficult to explain. How could he tell the explorer that he couldn't help himself and pictured _Katarina_ when he masturbated? Even the thought made him flinch. It was so awful. He hated it but he couldn't stop himself. Every time he desperately needed release, her smirking face would pop up in his mind, her naked body begging him to cum.

He swallowed, nervous. He looked at the expectant blond, who was still smiling at him.

"So, I might be a little… sexually frustrated?" He tried to say, but it didn't seem like it was enough. It's not like he couldn't pleasure himself, it was more of an ordeal he'd started to hate.

Ezreal was a little taken aback but he quickly composed himself.

"That's… a bit… odd. I wasn't expecting that. Don't you know how to take care of it?"

"Yeah but what if… it's painful to do so?"

"Fuck, Ethanial, you should've told me earlier. We need to get you to a doctor now!"

"Not… not painful in that sense." The boy closed his eyes tightly and breathed in slowly. "It doesn't hurt when I…"

"Is it some kind of emotional pain?" Ezreal picked on the problem quickly, much to the relief of the younger teen. "Are you having some sort of conflict?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Do you have feelings for someone?"

Did he? Ethanial couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that he felt. Sure, Katarina was hot, something she must know for a fact with the way she dressed. But from that to grow feelings for her…? The boy wasn't sure.

"I don't know?" He frowned, unhappy. This whole situation was awful. Every time he wanted to masturbate he pictured himself having sex with Katarina. He'd seriously tried to think of anyone else. He'd forced images of a naked Sona, sexy Miss Fortune and any other woman he found remotely attractive but they all ended up turning into Kat. Which ended up infuriating him. So he'd start pumping his member furiously, the assassin sprawled out unclothed on his imaginary bed, begging for him to fuck her stupid. And when he'd ejaculated, he'd feel awful. He'd seriously regret the disgusting act he'd just committed, and he felt ten times more frustrated.

After a silence, Ezreal decided to speak what he thought might be troubling the boy.

"Masturbating is something natural, Ethanial. You shouldn't be ashamed of doing it. I don't know what you might have heard, but it's not something bad, quite the contrary. It's good for you."

"It's not that!" The boy groaned, dragging his hands over his face in frustration. "I can't speak to you about it! You wouldn't understand!"

"Maybe I will. Try me." He tried to comfort him, smiling and reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder.

"No!"

"Well, do you want me to arrange for you to speak to someone?"

"Someone? Like who?"

"A doctor? A psychologist?"

"I don't need anyone!" The boy growled, his brow furrowing. "That's it! Get out! I don't need you rubbing your nose in my business!"

"Ethanial, I just want to help you… I know this is a difficult time and…"

"Shut up!" He hid under the covers, closing his eyes tightly and covering his ears. He didn't want to face this situation anymore and he hoped that if he hid enough, Ezreal would eventually tire out and leave. Which did in fact happen. Ethanial still waited a bit more before leaving the comfort of his bed to sigh in relief.

This was a secret he had to keep to himself.

* * *

Why? Why was he against Katarina of all champions? He grunted, feeling the familiar anger and frustration welling up inside of him. He could've been able to hold up against anyone, including Lux, but Kat? He just watched as she smirked at him, the playful grin getting on his nerves more than the threat of her humiliating him again.

And what was worse was the growing problem in his trousers that was caused by that smirk directed at him. And the fact that she had a very welcoming cat costume on wasn't helping at all. In fact, it was doing quite the contrary.

The minions walked into lane as he tried to control his breathing and failed miserably. He missed to last hit a total of four from the first wave and he heard her snicker. He'd actually gotten a lot better at League and he'd wanted to show off the skills he'd acquired, but her presence was making it impossible for him to do anything properly.

She threw her daggers at him, gracing him, and much to his surprise, making his dick twitch uncomfortably. He looked down and blushed, but forced his gaze on the enemy minions, to stop himself from thinking about it.

'Control yourself!' He growled at himself, his light sword slaying a small creature, much to his delight.

"Heads up, Ethanial!" Ekko shouted from somewhere in the jungle. "You seem to be having some trouble. I'll gank ya soon."

Oh, yeah, right. His friend was the jungler. Maybe if he could get a kill on her it would do wonders for his self-esteem and finally she'd stop with that smug smirk of hers.

It didn't take long for his friend to fulfil his word. He came in from the side with half his health, roughly how much Ethanial had left. Katarina threw her daggers, hitting both of them, but Ekko persisted, going after her. She ignited him and stabbed him, twirling, damaging them both. The Light's Child had reacted slowly, going in to fight just when his friend was retreating, the damage from the assassin and minions enough to make him die before the Noxian boy blinded the woman. With her abilities reset, it wasn't hard for her to get a double kill.

"Ethanial?" Ekko asked, his voice showing worry more than anger. "What happened there?"

"I… uhm… I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting the gank."

"But I warned you!"

"I know, I know. I just…"

"Whatever. I'm keeping the blue, though."

It wasn't a surprise for any of them that it ended in defeat.

* * *

"So, uhm, Ekko?" Ethanial muttered, looking at the stars in the sky. His friend had gone to visit him and invited him out for a walk. They were in the gardens, enjoying the pleasant weather.

"Yeah?" The other answered, waiting for the younger to tell him what was wrong. He wasn't going to press the issue, though.

"You're not smoking today?" The Noxian nearly kicked himself. He wasn't sure how to address what he wanted to say so he'd tried with a distraction.

"Nah. I found out Janna doesn't like smokers, so I decided to quit. Not like it was hard or anything."

"I'm glad to hear that, actually. So… there is something I want to talk about… You like Janna, right?"

"Ethanial." Ekko snapped. "Just spit it out already."

"Alright. I might, just maybe…"

"Have a crush on Katarina?" The Boy Who Shattered Time finished for him after waiting for nearly a minute for the other to spill the beans.

"Well I wouldn't put it like that…"

"Then what would you say?"

"I don't know what I feel for her. I don't think it's as strong as having a _crush_ on her. How did you…?"

"I'm your best friend. Of course I would notice when you act so obviously in love with her. I would be surprised if no one else noticed."

"But… _how_!?"

"I went to gank you and you just stood there _admiring_ her." Ekko muttered with a deadpan look. "Your cs was off by more than a hundred. You failed every ult in every team fight she was participating in."

"Oh, God. Do you think she knows?"

"Yeah, probably." Ekko nodded absentmindedly, but then turned to look at his friend with concern. "So, uhm, why Katarina, if I might ask?"

"It's not like I wanted to have feelings for her! They just sort of happened." Ethanial groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "I hate this!"

"It's part of life. It will fade."

"I don't like this! I hate this! I hate _her_!"

"You obviously don't hate her."

"Yes I do. She's disgusting. She's a hateful woman and I really can't say anything good about her."

"Stop lying to yourself!" Ekko yelled, frustrated. "You fucking like her, get over it! It's not the end of the world. At least have the courage to admit you have feelings for her."

"But I don't!? I don't think I have!"

"Then explain your behaviour today. Why did you do fuck all if you weren't smitten by her?"

"My body just reacts to her!" Ethanial snapped back, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away.

"And does your body react like that when you're with some other woman you find equally or more attractive than Katarina?"

The Noxian sighed. "No." He muttered.

"I know it's hard the first time you start feeling things for someone." Ekko had calmed down and was trying to reassure his friend. "It was difficult for me, too. When I started to like Jinx I tried to convince myself that I wasn't and stuff like that. Well, I actually fell in love with her, so we're not really talking the same kind of thing, but, I have been where you are, so I do know what I'm talking about."

"But you don't! I don't _love_ Katarina! I'm not even sure about this crush thing."

"Stop being so fucking pig-headed already!"

"You're the one being pig-headed! I'm the one with the feelings and you aren't listening to me!"

"Because you aren't listening to yourself. Trust me on this."

"Why would I trust _you_? Because you liked _Jinx_?"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

"I mean just because you had feelings for someone that doesn't mean you know what I feel!"

"Okay, fine. What _do_ you feel, then?"

"I don't know!"

"See? If you don't know then why don't you let someone who knows help you out?"

"And how would you help me? You didn't end up with Jinx."

"But I got over her! I don't love her anymore. Isn't that what you want with Katarina?"

"I want you to stop fucking talking about her. I'm literally going insane right now. Why Katarina, for fuck's sake?"

"That's a good question." The other spoke, unable to suppress the snarky tone from his voice.

"What are you implying?" Ethanial grit his teeth, directing an angry look at his friend.

"So I tried to go the right way about this but you've pissed me off, so I won't bother sugar coating my words. What the fuck do you see in Katarina?"

"Like you're one to talk? Hello? You liked Jinx?"

"Loved. The heart wants what the hearts wants. Apparently you just wanna fuck that Noxian woman stupid. If you've no feelings for her… It's just a matter of how attractive she is to you, right?"

"Like you didn't wanna do that to Jinx."

"For your information, no, I didn't." Ekko growled, furious. "It didn't start off like that. I really cherished her. She wasn't just a sexual object to me."

"Like I believe you."

"Why wouldn't you believe me!?"

"She's a fucking psychopath. You can't possibly be so deluded to think she had an awesome personality and that's what you liked about her."

"I _did_ like her personality. Heck, I still _do_. I think she's funny and charming. So maybe she's a little crazy but that just makes her special. What does Katarina have, apart from a pair of tits?"

"Well, at least she has tits."

"But that's about it. She's an assassin and that's all she lives for."

"Jinx is a fucking _terrorist_!" Ethanial yelled, scowling at his friend.

"And your _uncle_ is balls deep in Katarina!" Ekko screamed, finally losing his cool. "And why are you so fucking defensive of her if you don't have feelings for her?"

Ethanial went silent. He couldn't even look at his friend, he just stared at the ground, fuming silently. Maybe the other did have a point.

"And I don't have to defend myself or my previous crush to _you_. Nor to anyone." Ekko continued, getting up and kicking something. "Fuck! Now I'm really fucking pissed off."

"So… what if I do like Kata?" Ethanial whispered, still not looking up.

"Forget it. I don't wanna hear about it. I don't fucking care anymore. Just leave me alone." Ekko grumbled, walking away muttering to himself.

The Light's Child watched as his friend stormed off, guilt creeping up on him.

He felt like he was about to crack. The pressure, these alien feelings, the unyielding rage that came with anything, it seemed like it was all too much to bare. He breathed in and closed his eyes, hoping tomorrow would be a better day, and made his way back to Ezreal's, to try and get some sleep.

* * *

 **Guess who's back? Back again? Ezreal's back! Tell a friend. Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back...**

 **Hoo boy, I can't be the only one that's missed Ezreal, right? Aside from Ethanial, of course. And he came back with some resolve, too! Good for him.**

 **Hope this chapter was to the satisfaction of my Ekko x Jinx fan, but I feel like they'll probably kill me. I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better Ekko is over it now and is living happily (so don't kill me please).**

 **Hope you've enjoyed this so far and thanks for reading! See ya... some time!**


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